Information Needs and Resource Utilization by People Living With HIV/AIDS: A Case Study of ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parklane Enugu
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
The main purpose of this study is to depict a comprehensive picture of information need and resource utilization by people living with HIV/AIDS in ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane, Enugu. The specific purposes of the study are as follows:
- To determine the areas in which people living with HIV/AIDS needs information ESUT teaching Hospital.
- To find out the information resource used by people living with HIV/AIDS in ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane, Enugu.
- To determine the extent to which information resources encourage and support the people living with HIV/AIDS to take positive actions to deal with HIV/AIDS in ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane, Enugu.
- To determine the benefits derived from the use of information resources by the PLWHA in ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane, Enugu.
- To find out the barriers to access and utilization of information resources by PLWHA in ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane, Enugu.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter reviews the available related literature on information needs and resources utilization by people living with HIV/AIDS under the following headings.
Conceptual framework
HIV/AIDS
HIV stands for Human Immune deficiency Virus.
HIV is a virus that weakens the body immune system which causes AIDS. AIDS stand for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a disease that hurts the body’s ability to fight infections and diseases.
According to Piot, Kapita and Ngugi (2010) AIDS was first recognized in 1981 in the United State of America in young homosexual man.
Claxton and Harrison (2013) reported that HIV/AIDS disease is caused by a virus that weakens the immune system of the body. According to them, it was first identified in Paris in 1983 and was called Lymphia denopath associated virus (LAV). According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2011, researchers from USA identified the virus in 1984 called it Human T-cell Hyumphotopic Virus type III (HITV iii). The international committee on taxonomy of viruses recommended the use of the term Human Immune deficiency virus (HIV).
Colebienders R and Wabitsh (2013) describes HIV as a disease that can be transmitted through the blood, sexual fluids, and breast milk of HIV infected person, childbirth, mother to child during pregnancy. Also there are more common way that HIV can be transmitted, having unprotected sex with a person who has HIV, syringes, blood transfusion from HIV positive blood donor, which is very unlikely today because blood is being properly screened for HIV/AIDS. HIV stays in the body and slowly destroys the defense system from fighting of certain infection. These infections are usually controlled by a healthy immune system, but they can cause problem or even be life threatening in some one with AIDS. According to them only a blood test can determine of a person is infected with HIV, but if a person test is HIV positive, it does not necessarily mean that the person has AIDS.
The AIDS virus has been linked to the moral and sexual decadence prevalent in the west such as homosexual. According to the Association for Survival Progressive Intervention (2009) United Nation statistics indicate that 33.4 worldwide and 22.8 million or 68% are from sub Saharan Africa. According to Piot , Kapita , and Ngugi(2009) AIDS occurs when a person with HIV is weakened, beginning to fall ill, people infected with the virus may have different symptoms like, persistence cough, fever lose of weight, tuberculosis, have skin infections, virginal itching and prolonged diarrhea. According to them, these symptoms can also be seen in a person who does not have HIV/AIDS. A person infected with HIV may receive an AIDS diagnosis after developing one of the CDC defined AIDS indicator illness. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician according to the CDC AIDS case definition. Test for the HIV antibodies are the surest way of determining if someone has HIV/AIDS.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter describes the research design, area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique, instrumentation, validation of Instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis adopted for this research work.
Research design
A survey research design will be adopted for this study. This method is used because it allows the investigator to gather information about the targeted population without making a complete enumeration. It also helps to save time and money without sacrificing efficiency in the research process (Busha & Harter 200 1:540)
The survey research method will also be used because of the fact that, it has been tested by several researchers and found out to be efficient and effective research method for collection of relevant data.
Area of the study
ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane is situated in Enugu State a low resource setting with one of the highest burden of HIV infected patients in the Nigeria federation. The HIV care clinic of the center, is located at GRA Enugu North Local Government is a reference center for comprehensive treatment and support of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Population of the study
Based on the research work, population refers of group of people from which data are collected.
Although the population of the study comprised of all the patients living with HIV/AIDS in ESUT Teaching Hospital which according to the register recorded 20,000 patients.
There in three section sections which include:
HIV patients – 7, 500
AIDS patients – 3, 500
Registered patients in antiretroviral centre – 9, 000
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Introduction
This chapter presents the results obtained from data analysis. Data were analyzed, summarized and presented in line with the research questions that guided the study.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the summary, conclusion, recommendation and suggestions for further studies.
Summary
This research work has designed to identify the information needs of people living HIV/AIDS in ESUT Teaching Hospital, Park lane. The study sought to know the areas in which the people living HIV/AIDS need information, the information resources they used, the extent to which the information resources encourage and support them to take positive actions to deal with the disease, the benefit they derived from the use of information and barriers to access and utilization of information by the people living HIV/AIDS. As such five research questions were formulated based on the specific purpose of the study.
The study adopted a survey research design 120 copies of questionnaire were designed and distributed to the respondents by the researcher to get the relevant data for the study. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis where by frequencies and percentages were generated which enable the research to answer the research questions formulated for the study.
The study revealed that the people living HIV/AIDS need information in areas of nutrition, care and support, drug availability and affordability, antiretroviral medication, financial assistance and awareness/ education to reduce stigmatization and discrimination.
Another finding of the study is that, newsletter, pamphlets, radio/television programmes, health workers, family/friends and ministry of health/NACA/SACA are the information resources used by the people living HIV/AIDS.
The study revealed that the people living HIV/AIDS used information resources such as newsletters, pamphlets, radio/television programmes, health workers, ministry of health/NACA/SACA and counseling to a very great extent and as such the information resources encourage and support them to take positive action to deal with the disease.
The study also revealed the benefits derived from the use of information resources by people living HIV/AIDS to include, information resources help to give encouragement for future life, it helps to clear away with the fear of stigmatization and discrimination, it helps to get information on where the antiretroviral center is located in order to register for the antiretroviral drugs, its helps to know the dietary system of the disease and it help them to know what to do to live longer.
Finally, the study revealed barriers to access and utilization of information by the people living HIV/AIDS as absence of medical/public libraries, absence of radio/television programmes of HIV/AIDS, in local languages, inexplicit nature of information materials, distance of antiretroviral centers, absence of HIV/AIDS data/information exchange network and ineffective communication strategies.
Conclusion
Information is an essential resource for people with serious medical condition like HIV/AIDS. Information is very important to PLWHA and good information is vital for the care and treatment work as it enables the people living with HIV/AIDS and the caregivers to make joint decision about what will be appropriate and effective. The relevant information needs to be up to date and gives PLWHA a clear idea about their situation and possibilities, it should be communicated in way understood by the PLWHA. The PLWHA need to know the availability of treatment that gives message of hope as there is hope, more people get tested, if they are well enlightened about the disease they will become more visible and speak out about positive living.
Recommendations
Based on the following findings of this study the following recommendations are made:
- Radio/Television programmes intended for the people living with HIV/AIDS should be presented in their local languages hence most of them cannot understand the national language (English).
- The establishment of medical/public libraries should be encouraged. The medical libraries should provide not only printed materials but also a lot of non-print and audio-visual materials since most of the people living with HIV/AIDS obtain and understand information better through oral, visual and auditory means of communication. The medical libraries can repackage same of the printed material into non-print form.
- Government should not relent in its effort by providing more enlightenment campaign programmes and awareness through NACA/SACA agencies to all sections of the societies about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
- Community Outreach Programmes should be equally be organized and used to disseminate information that would aid general enlightenment of the people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Government should equally organize adult education programme for the people living with HIV/AIDS as this will enhance their information utilization capacity.
Suggestion for further studies
The following suggestions are made for further studies:
- Problems militating against access and utilization of health information by people living with HIV/AIDS in Enugu State.
- Availability and utilization of information resources and services in ESUT Teaching Hospital library by people living with HIV/AIDS.
REFERENCE
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- Claxton, P. and Harrison J. (2013). The Impact of HIV/AIDS on the family and other Significant Relationship; the African Clan Revisited. AIDS care 5(1): 5-20.
- Colebienders, R. and Wabitsch (2010). Counseling: An Introduction. (2nd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Edewor, C. (2010). Information in Libraries and Information Centres; A Bird’s eye view of Library and Information Scientist. Volume 3. Pg. 35-40.
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- Grey, Ocansey (2013). Adolescent Students’ Perceptions of their Career Guidance and Counseling Needs. New York: Ballantine Books.
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