HIV/AIDS Diagnosis and the Importance of Counseling and Confidentiality:   A Case Report

Nahid Khademi; Fariba Asghari

doi:10.18502/ijme.v15i19.12055

Nahid Khademi PhD candidate, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fariba Asghari Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijme.v15i19.12055

Keywords: Confidentiality, Consultation, Informed consent, HIV/AIDS.

Abstract

Confidentiality in AIDS patients is one of the necessities of medical ethics, which has attracted the attention of policymakers in the health field in the last few decades because, on the one hand, it increases the trust between patients and doctors. On the other hand, it encourages them to adhere to treatment and do necessary care to patients in order to prevent the transmission of the disease to others. However, it may lead to a breach of benevolence and others’ right to health and cause problems in providing health care. Here we discuss a practical solution for this problem through a clinical case presentation.