Objective:
The objective was to investigate the meanings that male health professionals attribute to HIV/AIDS.
Methods:
It was an exploratory study with a qualitative approach based on the Theory of Social Representations. It was conducted with 14 male health professionals in outpatient units in Recife, Brazil, 2012-2013. A questionnaire and a guided interview were used, which underwent Bardin's thematic-categorical content analysis.
Results:
Representations of HIV/AIDS are related to the social diversity of people living with HIV/AIDS and to the urgent multidisciplinary approach to support treatment adherence. Social prejudice is implicit in the image content of participants, who also emphasized multidisciplinarity as a needful support for living with the virus.
Conclusion:
The present research raises reflections about social representations of HIV/AIDS, whose meanings emerge from the reality experienced by the subjects involved.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Health Professionals; Men