Objective: To establish what information patients diagnosed in our health centre as infected by HIV have about their infection, to evaluate possible changes in their hazardous behaviour and to establish the monitoring level and stage of the condition.
Design: An observational study of a crossover nature. Demographic data and data on patients' understanding of HIV infection, their hazardous behaviour and clinical situation were collected by means of a semistructured survey.
Setting: Occidente Health Centre, Córdoba.
Patients and other participants: 35 people with HIV positive serology.
Measurements and main results: 92.6% were or had been users of parenteral drugs. 40.7% believed they had no health problem; 33.4% thought that the fact of having HIV antibodies was reversible; and 22.2% did not think they transmitted the infection. Their understanding of how infection occurred seemed sufficient, but in spite of this 39.1% continued to share syringes and 52.2% did not use condoms habitually. 56% had received what information they had from health staff; and 56.5% of these thought the information was insufficient. 28% did not regularly attend for medical check-ups.
Conclusions: Knowing you are an HIV carrier and having adequate information on ways of infection appeared to modify hazardous behaviour in our sample, although to a still insufficient extent. The establishment of strategies which not only inform, but also educate, would be of vital importance in slowing down the transmission of the infection.