Privacy, confidentiality and HIV/AIDS health care

Privacy and confidentiality are critical issues for people with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection or AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). This paper reports on a series of 80 detailed interviews conducted in five cities in Australia and New Zealand, within a variety of organisations specialising in the provision of HIV testing and HIV/AIDS treatment services. The aim of the interviews was to survey current practices and procedures relating to the handling of HIV-related health information, and to sample on an informal basis the attitudes of health professionals and HIV-positive persons to specific privacy issues arising with respect to HIV/AIDS health care. The interviews revealed numerous practical issues, innovative procedures, and problems that are of direct relevance to the provision of HIV/AIDS health care services, and to medical practice generally. Despite the genuine commitment to privacy evidenced by most interviewees, the range of examples of careless and blatant breaches of confidentiality indicated by interviewees underscores the need for a concerted effort by those handling HIV information to adhere to legal and professional standards.