Assessment of HIV transmission risks in clinical situations in health care students from Germany, Lithuania and Namibia

Due to the increasing global HIV prevalence, comprehensive knowledge about clinical HIV transmission risks in health care professionals is essential. Mainly medical and nursing students are at risk, because they are working close to infected patients. By using an anonymous questionnaire, the study analysed the assessments of German medical/dental students ( n=182), Lithuanian medical students ( n=176) and Namibian student nurses ( n=135) on the risk of getting HIV infected in different clinical situations. It became obvious that the Namibian student nurses overestimated the risk of HIV transmission in several situations (eg changing dirty linen, physical examination). In comparison, the Lithuanian students showed the most realistic assessments, while the German students also tended to overestimate the risks of HIV transmission. The results indicate that assessments on the risk of HIV transmission in clinical situations are influenced by the national prevalence and daily contacts with HIV patients. Education of health care students should consider this and focus more on epidemiological aspects and infection control procedures, to avoid endangering students and patients. Public Health (2001) 115, 114–118