Abstract
Objectives: Stigma and discrimination undermine the quality of life of people with HIV and their access to health services. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Oman. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between July and November 2016. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 government HCWs to determine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Results: A total of 1,281 HCWs participated (response rate = 92%). Routine tasks, such as dressing wounds, drawing blood and touching clothes, were a cause of concern for 24–52% of HCWs. Only 69% correctly answered questions regarding the transmission of HIV via eating/drinking and mosquito bites. Compared to other HCWs, doctors had significantly higher knowledge (mean = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19 to 0.73; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.24; P = 0.001) and practice (mean = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.55; P <0.001) scores. Expatriates also scored significantly higher in knowledge (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.23; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.48; P <0.001) and practice (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.34; P <0.001) compared to Omani nationals. Finally, those with >15 years’ work experience scored significantly higher on knowledge (mean = −0.60, 95% CI: −1.12 to −0.08; P = 0.025) and attitude (mean = −0.99, 95% CI: −1.87 to −0.10; P = 0.029) compared to those with less experience. Conclusion: The high rate of HIV-related stigma among HCWs in Oman should be rectified in order to achieve the 90-90-90 target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), e29-36
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Shah, S., Elgalib, A., Al-Wahaibi, A., Al-Fori, M., Raju, P., Al-Skaiti, M., Al-Mashani, H. N., Duthade, K., Omaar, I., Muqeetullah, M., Mitra, N., Shah, P., Amin, M., Morkos, E., Vaidya, V., Al-Habsi, Z., Al-Abaidani, I., & Al-Abri, S. S. (2025). Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), e29-36. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005
MLA 9
Shah, Samir, et al. "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, 2025, pp. e29-36. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005.
Chicago (author–date)
Shah, Samir, Ali Elgalib, Adil Al-Wahaibi, Maha Al-Fori, Prasanna Raju, Mahmood Al-Skaiti, Huda N. Al-Mashani, Kishor Duthade, Iyad Omaar, Muhammad Muqeetullah, Nilanjan Mitra, Parag Shah, Mohammed Amin, Essam Morkos, Vidyanand Vaidya, Zeyana Al-Habsi, Idris Al-Abaidani, and Seif S. Al-Abri. 2025. "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 20 (1): e29-36. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005.
Harvard
Shah, S., Elgalib, A., Al-Wahaibi, A., Al-Fori, M., Raju, P., Al-Skaiti, M., Al-Mashani, H. N., Duthade, K., Omaar, I., Muqeetullah, M., Mitra, N., Shah, P., Amin, M., Morkos, E., Vaidya, V., Al-Habsi, Z., Al-Abaidani, I. and Al-Abri, S. S. (2025) 'Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), pp. e29-36. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005.
Vancouver
Shah S, Elgalib A, Al-Wahaibi A, Al-Fori M, Raju P, Al-Skaiti M, et al. Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;20(1):e29-36. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005
IEEE
S. Shah, A. Elgalib, A. Al-Wahaibi, M. Al-Fori, P. Raju, M. Al-Skaiti, H. N. Al-Mashani, K. Duthade, I. Omaar, M. Muqeetullah, N. Mitra, P. Shah, M. Amin, E. Morkos, V. Vaidya, Z. Al-Habsi, I. Al-Abaidani, and S. S. Al-Abri, "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. e29-36, 2025, doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005.