Idemili-Aronu N, Onyeka TC, Okenwa UJ, et al.
Women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries face elevated mortality risk from comorbidities despite progress in antiretroviral therapy, making palliative care integration into HIV services important, yet this remains suboptimal in countries such as Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey examined palliative care knowledge, attitudes, facilitators, and barriers among women living with HIV across twelve Nigerian healthcare facilities, using logistic regression to analyze the data. Over 90% of participants were unaware of palliative care services, though many recognized potential benefits including hope (55%) and improved quality of life (56.5%); knowledge was predicted by education, occupation, religion, fewer children, urban residence, and higher income. Negative healthcare worker attitudes, perceived cost, and limited autonomy were major barriers, while affordable services and physician recommendations were facilitators, highlighting the need for targeted education and cost-reduction interventions.
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