HIV status: the prima facie right not to know the result

Journal of Medical Ethics
Tak Kwong Chan

Abstract

When a patient regains consciousness from Cryptococcus meningitis, the clinician may offer an HIV test (in case it has not already been done) (scenario 1) or offer to tell the patient his HIV status (in case the test has already been performed with a positive result while the patient was unconscious) (scenario 2). Youngs and Simmonds proposed that the patient has the prima facie right to refuse an HIV test in scenario 1 but not the prima facie right not to be told the HIV status in scenario 2. I submit that the claims to the right of refusal in both scenarios are similarly strong as they should both be grounded in privacy, self determination or dignity. But a conscientious agent should bear in mind that members of the public also have the right not to be harmed. When the circumstance allows, a proper balance of the potential benefits and harm for all the competing parties should guide the clinical decision as to whose right should finally prevail. Where a full ethical analysis is not possible, the presumption should favour respecting the patient's right of refusal in both scenarios.

References

Oct 1, 1960·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·S LOCKE
Sep 19, 2008·American Journal of Public Health·Thomas L PattersonSteffanie A Strathdee
Jul 20, 2011·The New England Journal of Medicine·Myron S CohenUNKNOWN HPTN 052 Study Team
Oct 12, 2012·African Health Sciences·J P DzoyemP J Lohoue
May 2, 2013·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Andrew AnglemyerNandi Siegfried
Oct 17, 2013·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Andrew AnglemyerGeorge Rutherford
Nov 26, 2015·Journal of Medical Ethics·Jonathan Youngs, Joshua Simmonds

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