Infected physicians and invasive procedures: safe practice management

Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Jun 1;40(11):1665-72. doi: 10.1086/429821. Epub 2005 May 2.

Abstract

There is currently no public policy that provides guidance concerning whether and when physicians infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can safely perform invasive procedures. A committee of experts in the fields of medicine, law, and biomedical ethics and 1 community member, aided by an advisory board, was established to produce recommendations for policy reform. An extensive literature review was conducted for these 3 infectious diseases, medicine, surgery, epidemiology, law, and bioethics to gather all relevant data. Special recommendations are made regarding the management of physicians who are infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV. This policy proposal includes a list of exposure-prone procedures and a decision chart that indicates under what conditions infected physicians can practice beyond the need for disclosure of their serological status.

Publication types

  • Practice Guideline
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Decision Making
  • Disclosure
  • Ethics, Medical
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control
  • HIV Infections / transmission
  • Hepatitis B / prevention & control
  • Hepatitis B / transmission
  • Hepatitis C / prevention & control
  • Hepatitis C / transmission
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / prevention & control*
  • Physicians / ethics
  • Physicians / standards*
  • Risk Factors