ORIGINAL RESEARCH Hepatitis C virus in primary care: survey of nurses’ attitudes to caring Kate Frazer, Michele Glacken, Barbara Coughlan, Anthony Staines & Leslie Daly Accepted for publication 8 October 2010 Correspondence to K. Frazer: e-mail: kathleen.frazer@ucd.ie Kate Frazer PhD RGN Lecturer School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland Michele Glacken PhD RGN Head of Nursing Department of Nursing and Health Studies, St Angela’s College, Sligo, Ireland Barbara Coughlan PhD RGN Lecturer School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Ireland Anthony Staines PhD FFPHMI Professor of Health Systems School of Nursing, Dublin City University, Ireland Leslie Daly PhD FFPH Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, University College Dublin, Ireland FRAZER K., GLACKEN M., COUGHLAN B., STAINES A. & DALY L. (2010) FRAZER K., GLACKEN M., COUGHLAN B., STAINES A. & DALY L. (2010) Hepatitis C virus in primary care: survey of nurses’ attitudes to caring. Journal of Advanced Nursing 00(0), 000–000. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05516.x Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a study measuring attitudes of primary care nurses towards caring for people with hepatitis C. Background. Hepatitis C is a major public health problem. Attitudes to caring for people with hepatitis C vary and can have an impact on nursing care practices. International literature has identified discriminating practices amongst healthcare professionals including nurses. There is limited research examining primary care nurses’ attitudes to caring for people with hepatitis C. Methods. A cross-sectional postal census survey of 981 nurses working in one health board region in the Republic of Ireland was conducted during the period March 2006 to June 2006. Results. A response rate of 57Æ1% (n = 560) was achieved. Exploratory factor analysis of an attitude scale identified three latent variables: ‘infection control behaviour’, ‘caring’ and ‘fear’. Attitudes were generally positive towards caring for persons with hepatitis C; however, 51Æ7% of respondents would use additional infection control precautions if caring for someone with known hepatitis C. Younger nurses and those educated to degree level and above held significantly more positive attitudes to caring. Nurses agreed that they have a central role in managing and treating people with hepatitis C; however, many agreed that they lack the knowledge and skills to care for persons with hepatitis C. Conclusions. Negative attitudes can result in discriminatory experiences for per- sons with hepatitis C or at risk. Nurses require ongoing education on hepatitis C to improve knowledge, to limit concerns and ensure adherence to infection control guidelines. Keywords: attitudes, cross-sectional survey, hepatitis C, nurses, primary health care Introduction Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important public health problem nationally and internationally (World Health Orga- nization 2000, Shepard et al. 2005). Prevalence of HCV in the UK is between 0Æ4% and 1Æ2% (Shepard et al. 2005) and in Ireland, prevalence is estimated to be between 0Æ01% and 1Æ4% (Government of Ireland 2003). Inconsistencies in attitudes and practices about blood-borne viruses exist; however, previous studies are generally hospital based (Roberts 2000, Dyke 2002, Stein et al. 2003, Twitchell 2003, Raghavendran et al. 2006). Bennett and Mansell Ó 2010 The Authors Journal of Advanced Nursing Ó 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 JAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING