Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners logoLink to The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
. 1988 Sep;38(314):414–417.

AIDS and HIV infection: ethical problems for general practitioners

Morris Gallagher
PMCID: PMC1711603  PMID: 3256658

Abstract

AIDS and HIV infection raise a number of important ethical issues and problems for general practitioners. The ethical issues which impinge most directly on the personal relationship between patient and practitioner are duty to care, consent and confidentiality. These issues, and some practical problems which are likely to be encountered by practitioners, are discussed with the help of case studies and by applying fundamental ethical principles.

Full text

PDF
414

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brown J. S., Irwin W. G., Steele K., Harland R. W. Students' awareness of and attitudes to AIDS. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1987 Oct;37(303):457–458. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bucknall A. Regional patterns of AIDS and HIV infection. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1986 Nov;36(292):491–492. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burrow G. N. Caring for AIDS patients: the physician's risk and responsibility. Can Med Assoc J. 1983 Dec 1;129(11):1181–1181. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dan B. B. Patients without physicians: the new risk of AIDS. JAMA. 1987 Oct 9;258(14):1940–1940. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Douglas C. J., Kalman C. M., Kalman T. P. Homophobia among physicians and nurses: an empirical study. Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1985 Dec;36(12):1309–1311. doi: 10.1176/ps.36.12.1309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dyer C. Testing for HIV: the medicolegal view. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Oct 10;295(6603):871–872. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6603.871. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Geddes A. M. Risk of AIDS to health care workers. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Mar 15;292(6522):711–712. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6522.711. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gillon R. AIDS and medical confidentiality. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Jun 27;294(6588):1675–1677. doi: 10.1136/bmj.294.6588.1675. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gillon R. Beneficence: doing good for others. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Jul 6;291(6487):44–45. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6487.44. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gillon R. Confidentiality. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Dec 7;291(6509):1634–1636. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6509.1634. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gillon R. Consent. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Dec 14;291(6510):1700–1701. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6510.1700. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gillon R. Refusal to treat AIDS and HIV positive patients. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 May 23;294(6583):1332–1333. doi: 10.1136/bmj.294.6583.1332. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Helbert M. AIDS and medical confidentiality. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Aug 29;295(6597):552–552. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6597.552. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Heley A. AIDS. What to do. Practitioner. 1988 Feb 8;232(1442):133–138. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. King M. B. AIDS and the general practitioner: psycho-social issues. Health Trends. 1987 Nov;19(4):1–3. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Loewy E. H. Duties, fears and physicians. Soc Sci Med. 1986;22(12):1363–1366. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(86)90100-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McEvoy M., Tillett H. E. Some problems in the prediction of future numbers of cases of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the UK. Lancet. 1985 Sep 7;2(8454):541–542. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)90472-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Miller D., Jeffries D. J., Green J., Harris J. R., Pinching A. J. HTLV-III: should testing ever be routine? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Apr 5;292(6525):941–943. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6525.941. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ostrow D. G., Gayle T. C. Psychosocial and ethical issues of AIDS health care programs. QRB Qual Rev Bull. 1986 Aug;12(8):284-9, 292-4. doi: 10.1016/s0097-5990(16)30059-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pellegrino E. D. Altruism, self-interest, and medical ethics. JAMA. 1987 Oct 9;258(14):1939–1940. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Pellegrino Edmund D. Ethics. JAMA. 1987 Oct 23;258(16):2298–2300. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Scott R. T. Attitudes towards patients infected with HIV. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1987 Dec;37(305):529–530. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sherrard M., Gatt I. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing. Guidance from an opinion provided for the British Medical Association. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Oct 10;295(6603):911–912. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6603.911. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Smith T. AIDS: a doctor's duty. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Jan 3;294(6563):6–6. doi: 10.1136/bmj.294.6563.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Steinbrook R., Lo B., Tirpack J., Dilley J. W., Volberding P. A. Ethical dilemmas in caring for patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ann Intern Med. 1985 Nov;103(5):787–790. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-103-5-787. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Thompson I. E. Fundamental ethical principles in health care. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Dec 5;295(6611):1461–1465. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6611.1461. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Zuger A. AIDS on the wards: a residency in medical ethics. Hastings Cent Rep. 1987 Jun;17(3):16–20. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Zuger A., Miles S. H. Physicians, AIDS, and occupational risk. Historic traditions and ethical obligations. JAMA. 1987 Oct 9;258(14):1924–1928. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners are provided here courtesy of Royal College of General Practitioners

RESOURCES