Infected physicians and invasive procedures: safe practice management.
There is currently no public policy that provides guidance concerning whether and when physicians infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can safely perform invasive procedures. A committee of experts in the fields of medicine, law, and biomedical ethics and 1 community member, aided by an advisory board, was established to produce recommendations for policy reform. An extensive literature review was conducted for these 3 infectious diseases, medicine, surgery, epidemiology, law, and bioethics to gather all relevant data. Special recommendations are made regarding the management of physicians who are infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV. This policy proposal includes a list of exposure-prone procedures and a decision chart that indicates under what conditions infected physicians can practice beyond the need for disclosure of their serological status.
Reitsma
Angelique M
AM
The Center for Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia Health Science Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0758, USA. ar6j@virginia.edu
Closen
Michael L
ML
Cunningham
Marshall
M
Lombardo
Paul A
PA
Minich
Henry N F
HN
Moreno
Jonathan D
JD
Nichols
Ronald L
RL
Pearson
Richard D
RD
Sawyer
Robert G
RG
Wispelwey
Brian
B
Tereskerz
Patricia M
PM
D003657:Decision Making; D030881:Disclosure; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010820:Physicians / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D012307:Risk Factors