- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 304
- Reaction score
- 8
Curious how the forum feels about these ethical topics.
1. A 45 year old male dx with active TB leaves your service AMA. Before discharge Pt states that he will not be bothered with a hospitalization because he has an air-line flight from New York city to Los Angeles in the morning. He is informed that his travel risk poses a risk to passengers and the community at large without treatment in quarantine and replies "you quacks don't know jack-****." Before leaving AMA, a nurse hears him say, "I have a flight to catch." As the resident physician, the patient is no where to be found and is presumed to have left the hospital.
2.A 39 year old female dx with HIV for the past 3 years and has repeatedly failed to disclose her status to partner. She states that she does not want to inform her sexual partner because "I'm scared that he will leave me." She is informed that her disease poses health risks to others who practice unsafe sexual practices with her. She becomes angry and quotes an LGBT website by stating the view of the AIDS Law Project’s view that there is no clear justification for such a breach of confidentiality under (insert US state here) law if a physician learns that an HIV+ pt is having unsafe sex or other risky behavior without having disclosed his or her HIV-positive status to a partner.
In each of these situations there are no "right" answers, just actions based on our values. What would you do? Do you lean more to pt privacy or public safety?
1. A 45 year old male dx with active TB leaves your service AMA. Before discharge Pt states that he will not be bothered with a hospitalization because he has an air-line flight from New York city to Los Angeles in the morning. He is informed that his travel risk poses a risk to passengers and the community at large without treatment in quarantine and replies "you quacks don't know jack-****." Before leaving AMA, a nurse hears him say, "I have a flight to catch." As the resident physician, the patient is no where to be found and is presumed to have left the hospital.
2.A 39 year old female dx with HIV for the past 3 years and has repeatedly failed to disclose her status to partner. She states that she does not want to inform her sexual partner because "I'm scared that he will leave me." She is informed that her disease poses health risks to others who practice unsafe sexual practices with her. She becomes angry and quotes an LGBT website by stating the view of the AIDS Law Project’s view that there is no clear justification for such a breach of confidentiality under (insert US state here) law if a physician learns that an HIV+ pt is having unsafe sex or other risky behavior without having disclosed his or her HIV-positive status to a partner.
In each of these situations there are no "right" answers, just actions based on our values. What would you do? Do you lean more to pt privacy or public safety?
Last edited:
