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HIV Infection and Health Personnel

Health Care Workers' Opinions Concerning Some Ethical Dilemmas

From the Department of Surgery, Hammerfest Hospital, N-9601 Hammerfest, Correspondence and request for offprints: Dr. Guttorm Brattebø, Department of Anaesthesiology, Hammerfest Hospital, N-9601 Hammerfest, Norway, Phone (047) 084-11444, Fax (047) 084-12585

Torben Wisborg

Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Bergen, Haukeland Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway

A survey was made of a sample of 359 Norwegian health workers to assess attitudes towards HIV infected colleagues, and how the respondents would behave if they themselves became HIV infected. Two thirds of the 268 (75%) who responded would not allow that a HIV positive health worker treated their family, and 47% supported routine HIV screening of health workers to protect patients. Most of the respondents were opposed to disability pensioning of HIV infected health personnel in general, and would not ask for this if were found HIV positive. One hundred ninety-six would not tell colleagues if they became HIV infected. Within this group, the proportion (153/196) that would not accept practising HIV positive health personnel was significantly larger than that among those who would report own seropositivity (24/64). The study revealed substantial anxiety, and inconsistencies between expected behaviour of others, and the respondents' own reactions also were found.

Key Words: HIV infection • health personnel • professional ethics • attitudes • Norway.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 18, No. 3, 225-229 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/140349489001800312


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