Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.
Ask the Experts about Workplace and Insurance Issues
Do RN's need to disclose
Feb 26, 2007
Do RN's need to share their positive HIV status with their employer? How about their co-workers? How about their patients?
Response from Ms. Breuer
1. Employers: read the hospital policy on infectious diseases and disclosure. If it doesn't require disclosure for HIV infection, you'll have the only answer that matters: the employer's own policy.
2. Co-workers: Think nine times before doing this. What outcome would you want? Expect? Why would you disclose? There is no requirement to disclose; it's voluntary. There's also no such thing as telling just a few co-workers. It becomes all or none.
3. There is no requirement to disclose to patients. The RN/patient relationship is about helping the patient to get well, not about moral support for the RN, so it's hard to imagine a good rationale for telling patients. There is no legal requirement to do so. If you are involved in an invasive procedure and are concerned about a patient's wellbeing because of possible contact with your blood, please have someone else do that procedure. Short of invasive procedures that could involve exchange of blood, an HIV-positive RN poses no threat to the health of a patient.
Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this
forum in rendering legal or medical advice or professional services. Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible
for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither The Body nor any sponsor is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.
Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of The Body, Body Health Resources Corporation or any sponsor of this
forum. While neither The Body nor Body Health Resources Corporation regularly reviews posted content, we reserve the right to delete, move, or
edit postings if we deem it appropriate under the circumstances. Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their
messages.
Information provided by experts is general only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, or relied upon as
legal or other professional advice. This information is not a substitute for professional advice or care. If you have or suspect you may have a
health or legal problem, you should consult your own health care provider or your attorney.
