The dissemination of knowledge between medical and non-medical staff in a hospital setting as a means of preventing AIDS infection of hospital workers
Date
2016
Authors
Abrahamsohn, David Alan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Knowing about .AIDS and the manner in which it can be contracted in the
workplace is essentlal for preventing infection. This thesis attempts to explore
whether non-medlcal hospital workers are placed at risk of Infection by virtue
of their ignorance of the virus and further seeks to investigate whether
"expert" knowledge possessed by professional health workers is disseminated
to less-skilled and less-knowledgeable workers. Processes around class and
status involved in social closure are investigated to account for the lack of
communication concerning AIDS amongst hospital workers. Two research
procedures were adopted in this study, namely the intensive interview and
participant observation.
Findings of the thesis indicate that though all hospital workers are at risk of AIDS infection, unskilled workers remain more vulnerable because they lack knowledge and awareness of the virus. Factors of class, status, educational opportunity and professional elitism striate the hospital workforce and result in exclusionary practices, including the non-dissemination of knowledge about AIDS in the hospital work setting