[lucky1RN]

Considering HIPPA, how does your facility handle HIV/AIDS notification for pt partners? Specifically, I'm wondering about end-stage terminal patients when the HIV status may help in end-of-life decisions made by the family AND the rights of the sexual partner to know their risks.
Thanks!

[elkpark]

There was a recent thread about this same question:

http://allnurses.com/forums/f30/ethi...ds-290599.html

In my state (and, apparently, most states), HIV/AIDS is a "reportable" (i.e., the state requires that all cases be reported) disease, reportable to the local public health department, and that agency is responsible for informing partners, not front-line clinicians in individual facilities.