Responses of health care professionals to proposed mandatory HIV testing
M. R. Passannante and D. B. Louria
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark.
OBJECTIVE: to survey active health professionals to assess the response to
and impact of a mandatory human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing policy
on health care providers and the communities in which they practice. DESIGN
AND SETTING: Anonymous four-page survey of active health professionals at
13 hospitals in northern and central New Jersey. PARTICIPANTS: 1557
physicians and nurses responded to the survey. Response rate was
approximately 41%. INTERVENTION: Hypothetical intervention. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Responses to a series of questions relating to a hypothetical
mandatory HIV testing policy for health professionals. RESULTS:
Approximately three fourths of all surveyed health professionals stated
that a mandatory testing policy would persuade individuals in their
profession not to work in high-prevalence areas. Among those who currently
work in high-prevalence HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
areas, only 51% said that they would definitely or probably remain in that
area should such a policy be instituted. Among those practicing surgery or
performing invasive procedures, 7% currently avoid HIV-positive patients,
and an additional 34% said that they would do so under the proposed testing
policy. Finally, 4% of these professionals currently advice others to stop
working in high-prevalence areas, and an additional 22% state that they
would definitely do so if the proposed policy were instituted. CONCLUSIONS:
If physicians and nurses behaved in accordance with their survey responses,
institution of a mandatory HIV testing policy would create a shortage of
physicians and nurses in high-prevalence HIV/AIDS areas.
