Reitsma Angelique M, Closen Michael L, Cunningham Marshall, Lombardo Paul A, Minich Henry N F, Moreno Jonathan D, Nichols Ronald L, Pearson Richard D, Sawyer Robert G, Wispelwey Brian, Tereskerz Patricia M
The Center for Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia Health Science Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0758, USA.
Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Jun 1;40(11):1665-72. doi: 10.1086/429821. Epub 2005 May 2.
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.
