title: The unhealthy physician.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physicians, if affected by transmissible or impairing diseases, could be hazardous for third persons.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To solve the apparent chasm between patient's and sick worker's rights, a consensus-building process leading to hospital-wide policies is the better alternative to individual decision making.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policies have to balance the rights of the sick worker, the right of the other workers, patients and customers, and society's expectations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine, Catholic University School of Medicine, Largo Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. nicolamagnavita@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Magnavita
mesh_terms: D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient; D008318:Malpractice; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D010815:Physician Impairment; D018907:Privacy; D011634:Public Health