"It's 100% for me": hospital practitioners' perspectives on mandatory HIV testing.
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Date
2009-07
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Abstract
This article explores the thinking of medical practitioners working
in nine hospitals spread across five cities in India, on a contested
subject - mandatory HIV testing of patients prior to surgery. We
used in-depth interviews with practitioners and an interpretive
analytical approach to understand their decisions to conduct
mandatory tests. While many in the public health community
see mandatory testing as an unacceptable violation of patient
autonomy, the practitioners widely regarded it as a valuable
cost-saving innovation for obviating transmission of infection
during surgery. These conceptions are rooted in the day-to-day
logic of practice which defines practitioners’ actions - imperative
of personal security, investment in core occupational roles and
the importance of harmonious relations with co-workers. The
experiences of hospitals with contrasting policies on mandatory
HIV testing shows how an approach that balances patients’ needs
with an appreciation of practitioners’ perspectives may result in
more workable solutions for field-level ethical dilemmas.
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Sheikh Kabir, Porter John D H. "It's 100% for me": hospital practitioners' perspectives on mandatory HIV testing. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. 2009 Jul-Sept; 6(3): 132-137.