BACKGROUND:The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the Philippines is increasing. HIV-related stigma in the health care setting is a known barrier to healthcare access for people living with HIV (PLHIV).

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to identify stigmatizing attitudes and practices towards PLHIV among healthcare workers in Philippine General Hospital.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 375 healthcare workers were recruited via convenience sampling. A standardized questionnaire developed by the Health Policy Project was used.

RESULTS: The study demonstrated concerns regarding transmission, particularly during drawing blood (87.1%),assisting in labor and delivery (82%), and dressing wounds (80.4%). Use of special infection-control measures (76.1%),wearing double gloves (72.8%), additional infection-control procedures during labor and delivery (72.2%), and wearing gloves during all aspects of patient care (70.2%) were reported as well. Perceptions such as the belief that pregnant women who are HIV positive must inform their families of their HIV status (82.1%), and that PLHIV engage in irresponsible behaviors (69.1%) and are promiscuous (66.4%) were also detected.

CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the presence of HIV-related stigma among healthcare workers in Philippine General Hospital.This finding could potentially catalyze the development of stigma-reducing measures which could hopefully translate to improved healthcare for PLHIV.