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Ethical Issues in HIV & AIDS Cases

There are a number of different things which must be considered in regards to the care and treatment of individuals living with HIV or AIDS. Many HIV patients are concerned with their privacy, and some are concerned about how they will receive needed treatment without health insurance or permanent housing. There are a number of ethical procedures in place to help ensure that individuals with HIV or AIDS receive the care that they need regardless of income or insurance status, while protecting their privacy and ensuring that their confidentiality isn't breeched.

  1. Clinical Ethics

    • Respect for the patient is a top priority in the clinical setting when dealing with HIV and AIDS. This means that records must be kept confidential and that trust must be built between medical practitioners and their HIV-positive patients. Clinical ethics are important because the trust that is built with patients makes it easier to obtain vital information concerning medical history and lifestyle, and also makes it more likely that the patients will be honest about adherence issues.

    Testing

    • Ethics come into play in regards to testing procedures in a number of ways. Many states require counseling in both the pre- and post-testing phases, allowing the patient to become familiar with how the tests that they will take work and what steps should be taken once test results have been returned. Whether the test results are positive or negative, patients will be treated with the same respect and will have access to counselors that they can talk about their fears with.

    Research Ethics

    • The research of new treatments and medications requires a trust between researchers and test subjects, and there is an ethical obligation for researchers to disclose possible side effects so that potential test subjects can give their informed consent. In order to ensure that the tests do not cause HIV infections to progress during the testing phase, researchers must make sure that treatment and medication tests will not interfere with the overall level of medical care that the test participants receive.

    Medication and Treatment

    • In the United States and several other countries, all individuals who are living with HIV or AIDS have the right to quality health care and medical treatment. This ethical obligation on the health care system ensures that those who need it will have access to antiretroviral medications, have the option to participate in clinical studies that they may qualify for, and will receive other needed medical care regardless of their ability to pay. This is especially important given that over half of all people who are living with HIV or AIDS are living in poverty and would otherwise be unable to pay for the expensive medications used to treat HIV infection.

    Disclosure

    • All patients with HIV have the right to privacy about their diagnosis. With such a large amount of stigma, misconception, and discrimination surrounding HIV, any breach of confidentiality by medical or research workers could create a significant amount of trouble for HIV-positive individuals. Legally, a person who is infected with HIV or who has AIDS is not required to disclose his HIV status to anyone other than sexual partners. This includes family, friends, employers, or coworkers.

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