Essay on Aids And Confidentiality
Aids And Confidentiality Term Papers
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (aids and confidentiality)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!
AIDS and Confidentiality
Does an AIDS patient have rights to FULL confidentiality? Meaning being does an AIDS patient have the right to deny this information to their spouse and/or sexual partner? Even greater, does a physician have an obligation to inform the partner? A lot of controversy is currently occurring due to this topic.
In a recent case, Mr. B., a twenty-eight year old prominent member of the city council was recently tested positive for HIV antibodies (the virus that causes AIDS). He currently has no symptoms, so it is not yet obvious to anyone but him and his doctor that he is infected. He was informed that he had between a five and thirty-five percent chance of developing AIDS in the next five years. Mr. B. was told that it was very possible to spread this disease through sexual contact, needles, or donating blood - among various other methods. He was counseled to take preventative measures from spreading the virus.
Later, Mr. B. revealed that he was bisexual and that he probably contacted the virus through a homosexual encounter. He is also engaged (to a woman). He then refused to tell his fianc e because it could ruin his marriage plans.
Our ethical dilemma is this: Should the doctor inform the fianc e? Should he protect the doctor/patient confidentiality? What if Mr. B. had an affair with the physician s daughter. Should he break the privilege then? What about the other sexual partners Mr. B. has had sex with? Ho far should confidentiality be taken in this case? IF confidentiality is a prima facie duty, what would constitute the overriding of confidentiality?
First off, the most important question is whether or not this is a prima facie situation. My answer is yes. There are certain cases (which are the majority) where the patient should be granted full confidentiality. Patients could lose jobs, face public outcast, and become the subject of strong prejudice if certain people knew about their situation. Obviously, it isn t the business of the person down the street if they have no contact with one another.
This happens to be one of those cases where the overriding of confidentiality should be undertaken. As a doctor, the physician has an obligation to protect the health of the people if possible. He knows Mr. B. has no intention of telling his fianc e of his situation, putting her at great risk especially if they decide to have a family (in which even more people, being the children, would be...
MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 12 Feb, 2012 from
<http://essaymania.com/127836/aids-and-confidentiality>
More College Papers
Bring Back Foolishness, Corporal Punishment
Bring Back Foolishness
Jeff Jacobys essay, entitled Bring Back Flogging was, in my sincere opinion, poorly constructed. There are numerous instances where I felt that he had either not supported his premises with valid information or had negated his support in later sentences.
The essay begin
Brief Look At Euthanasia
Brief Look at Euthanasia
Euthanasia is one of the most acute and uncomfortable
contemporary problems in medical ethics. Is Euthanasia Ethical? The
case for euthanasia rests on one main fundamental moral principle:
mercy.
It is not a new issue; euthanasia has been discussed-and
practised-in
British Cases Legal Importance
The three cases chosen are R. v. Moloney (1985), Airedale National Health Service Trust v. Bland (1993) and R. v. R. (1991). Taking each case separately, endeavours will be made to show in what way they are significant in legal terms, also in social or cultural terms, where apposite. It shall be s
