HIV Street Education Using Student Nurses

Abstract

With the ever-increasing burden that is being put on health care facilities by HIV and AIDS, alternative educational methods to offset this burden must be implemented. One such way is to take AIDS education into the streets by having small groups of nursing students and a faculty advisor manage information booths to educate the public about AIDS. The primary purpose is to provide information by distributing pamphlets and discussing the issues, with the intention of effecting a positive change in health-seeking and risk-taking behaviors of those stopping by the booth. A secondary purpose is to enhance the knowledge base of student nurses about HIV and AIDS. The eventual desired result is a decline in the number of reported HIV-positive cases. Such a program has the potential for becoming a national program for educating both the public and student nurses about HIV.