In: Operations Management
One of a physicians patients, a well-respected citizen in a small community, saw the doctor with a complaint of blood in his urine (hematuria). The physician asked the patient admitted that he had. The physician asked the patient if he d any new sexual partners recently, and the patient admitted that he had. The physician explained to the patient that his urine specimen had been positive for the ST1 chlamydia. The physician urged the patient to discuss his medical condition with the patients wife, who was also the physicians patient, but the man is reluctant.
Questions:
3.If the patient refuses to confide in the wife, what should the
physician do?
4.What are the ethical issues in this case?
If the patient refuses to confide in the wife, what should the physician do?
If the patient refuses to confide the truth to his partner then it is an act of crime according to HIPAA.The physician has to explain the patient in this way.The physician can inform the partner and advise for any investigation if she is infected or not. The physician must: report the communicable disease to the appropriate authorities; Warn the patient that he must do so; Hopefully, the patient will speak with his wife.
What are the ethical issues in this case?
The main ethical issue is Patient confidentiality: reporting a communicable disease. The doctor is in a dilemma to reveal to spouse or not.However he has to report this infection to the government,so that they could monitor any epidemic outbreak.