What do you do if you find out someone has HIV? Is it a violation if you tell.?!


Question: My father's in the hospital because of a stroke, he cannot communicate. The doctors did a bunch of tests and told me that he's HIV. Do I share this with his wife (whom he's been separated from for the past 3-5 years) or do I let the doctors tell her, wouldn't it be a violation of his privacy if I tell? He did not discuss all of his health challenges with me, he kept a lot of things to himself. I feel very uncomfortable being in this position....HELP...PLEASE. Completely overwhelmed


Answers: My father's in the hospital because of a stroke, he cannot communicate. The doctors did a bunch of tests and told me that he's HIV. Do I share this with his wife (whom he's been separated from for the past 3-5 years) or do I let the doctors tell her, wouldn't it be a violation of his privacy if I tell? He did not discuss all of his health challenges with me, he kept a lot of things to himself. I feel very uncomfortable being in this position....HELP...PLEASE. Completely overwhelmed

What you can do is find out from the hospital who the PHR is (Public Health Representative) hat person would contact his wife and tell her that she may have been exposed to HIV from somebody in her past. The law will not allow your father's name to be used.

HIV is a very personal matter. Since there seems to be a lot about your father that you don't know, keep it to yourself. Since he will not be sexually active for a long time, or maybe never, there is no need to expose what is uncomfortable for you.

Once you tell someone, the "news" is out of your control because you can not keep others from talking. The only people need to know would be your father's health care proxy or proxies.

Thank you for questioning this, I know it may be hard to hear and digest this information, but it is no body's business.

If your father is expected to be able to communicate in the future, I would allow him to tell. If he isn't expected to be able to communicate, I would tell her for her and any future partner she may have. She should be tested and treated if needed.

yea it would b violation of his privacy. keep it to urself. and there is no reason dat he is a different person just cuz he has hiv. he always will b ur father no matter wat even so he has hiv. there nothing wrong wit it and also shouldnt b a reason to b ignorant

You should let the doctors tell her and ask the doctors to tell her immediately, they don't actually tell her who has it, they just advise her to get tested. your father and ex wife could already know & That was a violation for that doctor to tell you!!!!

You are morally obligated. She probaly has HIV and has the possiblity of spreading it to more people. It would be the right thing to do.

He can not communicate. You have to tell her. Ask her to come to the hospital so you all can "discuss your father's condition and how it affects her" and arrange a time with the doctors that you all can sit down together as a group and you can break the news to her. I am sure that she will appreciate you being there.
If they will not do that, then you have to make sure the Physicians have contacted public health and they can contact her and alert her to the situation. The sooner she is tested the better. If she is positive as well, then the sooner she is on meds, the better it is for her. Also all of her partners will have to be notified as well.
Please accept my sympathy for you, your father and your stepmom.
PS this situation is not a violation of privacy. He is incapacitated and he needs someone to understand his conditions and make decisions about his care. If she does not understand his conditions and illnesses, she can not make informed decisions and then the hospital would be liable.

First off, I want to say that I am so sorry about your father's stroke and I do hope that he will make a full recovery.

So here's the process:
When one is diagnosed as HIV positive, a list of past sexual partners has to be given to the health department. The patient is encouraged to tell any current and past partners about their status. If they need help or are unable to tell their partner(s), they[the health department] will contact the partners for the patient. The health department will not give out the name of the patient, so a lot of paitents are more comfortable with the option of letting the health department do the dirty work for them.





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