The AIDS epidemic is now in its second decade and shows no sign of relenting. Unfortunately, however, the AORN study shows that perioperative nurses' knowledge regarding HIV and AIDS is not adequate to enable them to provide patient care while maintaining safe practices. Focused educational programs should be made available to perioperative nurses to help them apply universal precautions and OSHA standards to everyday practice. Perioperative nurses must become knowledgeable about the disease and sensitive to the needs of patients who have this illness. All nurses have a special obligation to care for all patients; education and management strategies that enable exploration of values, fears, and prejudices will help nurses understand their own beliefs and those of other individuals. Recommendations from this study may be viewed as a starting point for this perioperative education.