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Should physicians infected with human immunodeficiency virus be allowed to perform surgery?
1Department of Human Values and Ethics, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|May 1, 1993
Summary
Physicians with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) face practice restrictions. A balanced ethical approach suggests restricting HIV-positive doctors from procedures with significant patient exposure risks, like those involving open wounds.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Physicians with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience practice limitations impacting their professional autonomy.
- Existing ethical viewpoints on restrictions for infected physicians include mandatory procedure avoidance, patient disclosure with consent, or bans on high-risk invasive procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a refined ethical framework for practice restrictions concerning physicians infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- To address limitations of existing ethical views by focusing on patient exposure rather than transmission risk.
Main Methods:
- Ethical analysis of existing viewpoints on physician HIV restrictions.
- Development of a new ethical principle based on patient exposure risk and informed consent.
Main Results:
- Existing ethical views on HIV-positive physician restrictions have significant drawbacks, including overlooking adverse effects or patient exposure consequences.
- A proposed ethical view suggests restricting physicians from procedures with exposure risks necessitating informed consent.
Conclusions:
- Current risk estimates indicate that physicians with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should be restricted from procedures involving open wounds.
- This ethical approach balances physician rights with patient safety by focusing on informed consent and exposure risk.