Ethics seminars: HIV testing, consent, and physician responsibilities.
Emergency physicians constantly have multiple ethical obligations in the emergency department. They must understand these sometimes conflicting obligations and learn to prioritize. A case discussion is presented that exemplifies the conflict between patient privacy and society's right to know. Specific aspects of HIV testing and obtaining patient consent are presented. Teaching physicians are encouraged to use such common cases for "ethics case discussion."
Parsa
M
M
Department of Emergency Medicine, Texas Tech University, El Paso, TX 79905, USA. mwalsh1@elp.rr.com
Walsh
M J
MJ
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000328:Adult; D003219:Confidentiality; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D010819:Physician's Role; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D016312:Treatment Refusal