Knowledge About and Risk Factors for AIDS in a Day Hospital Population

The results of this study, like those of the study by Sacks and associates (4), suggest that patients with severe mental illness are at high risk of contracting and spreading HIV. The first step in addressing the problem is aggressive education; the provision of direct and concrete information is particularly important for patients who have not completed high school. In addition, patients' personal risk status, their level of concern about the illness, and their ability to implement the health practices they have learned should be assessed. Clinicians should take an active role in facilitating the use of appropriate medical and social resources and should continue to investigate the relationship between knowledge and behavior.