Pharmacy faculty students’ knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Türkiye
BMC Medical Education, cilt.26, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 26 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12909-026-08919-z
- Dergi Adı: BMC Medical Education
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Education Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Attitude, HIV/AIDS, Infection transmission, Knowledge, Pharmacy students, Preventive care
- İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background: The role of pharmacists in delivering counseling and care services for patients with HIV/AIDS is becoming increasingly significant. The knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy students regarding HIV/AIDS are essential for the quality of future professional practices. This multicentre cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS among senior pharmacy students in Türkiye. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among senior pharmacy students from three universities in Türkiye (n = 326). Data were collected using the Turkish HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitude Scale, whose validity and reliability have been previously established. HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitude levels were summarized using descriptive statistics, and associated variables were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. The threshold for statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results: A total of 326 students from three pharmacy faculties were included in the study (Median age: 22; IQR: 22–23). Participants had median HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitude scores of 12 (IQR:9–15) and 51 (IQR:41,75 − 55) respectively. Overall, the findings demonstrate inadequate HIV/AIDS knowledge among students, notably in transmission and prevention domains and continued presence of negative attitudes toward individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Age (β = 0.604, p < 0.001), grade level (β = 1.282, p = 0.013), and having previously read anything about AIDS (β = 1.264, p = 0.047) were all positively associated with higher levels of knowledge. Being female (β = 3.842, p = 0.004) was associated with higher attitude scores, while 5th-grade status (β = -2.884, p = 0.011), religious belief (β = -6.988, p = 0.006), and low income (β = -3.779, p = 0.031) were significantly associated with lower (more negative) attitude levels. Conclusion: Integrating structured educational strategies into pharmacy curricula may help address existing gaps. Future interventional studies using controlled and pre-post designs are needed to evaluate their impact on professional readiness in HIV/AIDS-related care.