An analysis of the written policy and procedures on acquired immune deficiency syndrome of a sample of post-secondary, four-year institutions

This study examined the extent to which written policy and procedures on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) of 137 post-secondary, four-year institutions complied with the American College Health Association's (ACHA) 13 guidelines on AIDS. These guidelines strive to assist officials in higher education in policy making on AIDS. The ACHA serves its membership through various educational programs. Through such activities, member institutions voluntarily shared their AIDS policies with the ACHA, which, while not approving or disapproving any in terms of compliance to its 13 guidelines, permitted the researcher access to all (137) on file at ACHA in August 1990. The policies, coded for anonymity, were examined by the researcher and a tenured university professor and rated according to a compliance continuum that ranged from 4.00 (full compliance) to 0.00 (non-compliance). The mean and mean ranking of the guidelines provided an indication of the priority placement according to institutional compliance. A t test was employed to assess differences in compliance between institutions by source of control (public versus private). The study also examined differences in institutional compliance according to enrollment and state-reported AIDS cases classification. Overall institutional compliance revealed that the sample institutions complied most fully with three guidelines requiring minimal institutional effort and expense: adoption of General/Flexible Policies, adherence to Confidentiality of Information, and creation of an Institutional Committee. Six guidelines necessitating greater institutional attention and commitment through possibly additional personnel expertise, medical services, and specific health and legal measures were found in lesser compliance: Medical Care, Safety Precautions, HIV Antibody Testing, Handicapping Conditions, Admissions, and Harassment. Source of control, enrollment, and state-reported AIDS cases classification appeared to have little correlation to institutional compliance. The study findings seem to warrant the conclusion that the 137 written institutional policy and procedures on AIDS reviewed fall short of meeting the ACHA's expectations outlined by the ACHA Task Force on AIDS' General Statement on Institutional Response to AIDS.