Qualitative Study: Patients Perception of PITC in Semarang's Hospitals

HIV test is the only way to know a person's HIV status. The number of patients who were initiated to do HIV test was very low, compared to the number of patients showing AIDS clinical symptoms and the number of babies born from HIV-positive-mother. Moreover, there was a great rejection from patients to do HIV test. The objective of this research was to describe hospital patients’ perception of the implementation of PITC by health care workers. This was a qualitative research using case study design. Nine informants were in-depth interviewed from two hospitals in Semarang City which implement PITC. The result showed that patients were assuming that the initiation of HIV test by health care workers was important because they were hoping to know their sickness, so they could get the proper treatment as soon as possible. Information about HIV test was given incompletely, because PITC was practiced in short time and in a lack-of-privacy room. It is suggested to PITC implementers that the initiation of HIV test should be carried out by focusing more on patients understanding about why they were initiated to do HIV test and focusing more on the 3 C, especially the confidentiality as mentioned in PITC Guideline by Ministry of Health of Indonesia.