Respond to the following questions concerning the prompt below: Is it unethical to keep this information from the patient’s girlfriend? Is it unethical to inform Jessica about the patient’s condition against his consent?
Your responses must be in line with HIPAA and the Medical code of Ethics.
Healthcare Administrators must be familiar with the code of ethics of all members in the care team.
The following case concerning patient confidentiality is presented by the American Medical Association. The scenario is very common for patients newly diagnosed with HIV that have a monogamous relationship. Let’s read:
"On Dr. Singh’s recommendation, one of her patients, Mr. Henry Roland, consented to be tested for HIV and had a positive test result, which he feared but suspected. Mr. Roland has a longtime girlfriend, Lisa, whom he sometimes mentions to Dr. Singh. When talking to Mr. Roland about his positive test result, Dr. Singh brought up the topic of notifying Mr. Roland’s past and present partners so they could be tested themselves. Mr. Roland refused to agree to tell Lisa, or even allow Dr. Singh to notify the health department so they could call her to suggest that she be tested. "If she’s positive, she’ll know it was me. Please don’t say anything or she’ll know I gave it to her." Mr. Roland told Dr. Singh that he intended to continue having sexual relations with Lisa, otherwise she would suspect that something was wrong with him. He insisted he would use protection consistently. Dr. Singh explained to Mr. Roland that Lisa may already be HIV-positive and if she is, she should seek treatment. "She’ll leave me if she knows. I can’t deal with this without her, Dr. Singh, I just can’t."