Disclosure of HIV status on informed consent forms presents an ethical dilemma for protection of human subjects.
The privacy of copies of consent forms provided to research participants cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, consent forms that disclose a subject's HIV status may result in breach of confidentiality and cause social harms. Under the ethical principle of beneficence defined in the Belmont Report, we recommend that disclosure of HIV status be through voluntary counseling and testing; however, whenever possible, copies of consent form should not specify HIV status.
Gray
Ronald H
RH
Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. rgray@jhsph.edu
Sewankambo
Nelson K
NK
Wawer
Maria J
MJ
Serwadda
David
D
Kiwanuka
Noah
N
Lutalo
Tom
T
D032962:Consent Forms / Q000941:ethics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics*; D018907:Privacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014342:Truth Disclosure / Q000941:ethics