talkmagic.co.uk

Just a small debate here....

Imagine that you are a medical doctor (or imagine you are at work if you are actually a doctor ) and you have a patient who is HIV positive. They are in a relationship and are sexually active, but their partner is unaware of the HIV status. Contraception, you are assured, is always being used. This person has also specifically requested that you keep the information confidential and to not tell their partner.

What would you do and why?

Anonymous tip off. Solved.

Blackmail........easy

a private consultation is private unless the gp belives that there is a danger to health at which point I belive there are mechanisms in place to allow them to shift responsibility for the leek.
what if a woman was having an abortion and not telling there partner for religiose reasons.

magicdiscoman wrote:a private consultation is private unless the gp belives that there is a danger to health at which point I belive there are mechanisms in place to allow them to shift responsibility for the leek.
what if a woman was having an abortion and not telling there partner for religiose reasons.

re danger to health.....surely risk of HIV is a danger to health? Though to my knowledge even then a doctor may not tell the partner if asked not too.

If I was a doctor I would just cure Aids, frankly I don't see why other doctors haven't thought of that.

Answering your question seriously, the only honest answer I can give is I don't know, because you never really know what you'll do in these situations until they happen.

I'd like to think I would tell the partner, but I would do my best to convince my patient to tell their partner first.

Is there a doctor in the house?

mark lewis wrote:Is there a doctor in the house?

Since for any real doctor this would be a genuine moral dilemma rather than just idle speculation, they may not want to comment.

The question is too constricting; there are situations in which information must be shared and that would include family members or those designated by the individual for tending to their wants, desires & needs when it comes to health & treatment.

Here in Massachusetts we are rapidly heading towards a program that will be nation wide eventually; all of your health records -- EVERYTHING -- can be downloaded by any doctor's office or hospital across the nation. This way, if you are in an accident in say, Seattle but you live in Miami, the ER in Seattle can know instantly, who your primary care physician is, what medications & dose you are on, etc. including what health conditions you my suffer from.

There are many advantages to this concept but likewise, some major security risks when it comes to privacy and even personal protection. Hanging all of my details on some kind of "cloud" (as it's being called) ain't my idea of "safe", given the mentality of jerks such as the wikileaks nut cases.

Ah but this isn't about confidentiality between other medical practitioners or care workers...more, in this situation, whereby it is something intentionally and knowingly being kept from a partner

I can't be sure, but I believe that here in the states once you have been diagnosed there is a whole system in play that deals with these situations. They just don't bring you into the office and say "hey you have HIV you may want to think about telling your partner(s)...now here is how we treat...."

I know there have been a few cases where infected people have knowingly and with intent infected others and there were legal ramifications, I just for the life of me can't remember the outcome.

mark lewis wrote:Is there a doctor in the house?

There's at least one proper doctor on the boards but I would imagine this is a debate he'd just stay out of.

Lawrence wrote:Anonymous tip off. Solved.

I'd love to read that message :p You wouldn't believe it though surely if some stranger just sent you a note or something saying:

P.S Your partner has HIV...

bmat wrote:I know there have been a few cases where infected people have knowingly and with intent infected others and there were legal ramifications, I just for the life of me can't remember the outcome.

There was a case like this in the Netherlands in 2007, where three men organised parties for gay men, both having sex with and injecting them with HIV positive blood (although the last claim did not hold up in court). Initial charges were manslaughter, but the final verdict in 2010, for the NL Supreme Court, listed aggravated assault.

It's the patient's (legal, iirc) responsibility to tell the partner. Afterall, how can you be certain how the patient's partner will react?

What if said patient had told the partner that they were their first?
What if said patient had only the week before promised they had an STD test and it came back negative, so why should they use a condom? (Contraception may have been assured, but patients lie)
What if it was a final chance after a string of lies?

Who knows what sort of problems you might cause. You're best leave well out


(Also legally you have no right to tell them, data protection act is very clear about this)