HIV/AIDS Patient Satisfaction With Hospitalization in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

The purpose of this study was to investigate how HIV/AIDS patients evaluate hospitalizations and to contrast such evaluations with those of inpatients who were diagnosed with pneumonia or pleurisy. In all, 302 satisfaction survey records collected in 2002 from patients of U.S. hospitals were analyzed. Potential confounding variables were kept constant or statistically controlled. Patients with HIV/AIDS rated their care lower than patients with pneumonia or pleurisy. The survey section, Tests and Treatments, yielded a significant effect of diagnosis. In addition, there was a significant effect of diagnosis for two survey items: skill of the person who took your blood, and skill of the person who started the intravenous line. Results were discussed in terms of caregiver attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients, and implications for nursing care were drawn.