Infectious health care workers: should patients be told?

Oliver Blatchford, Sarah J O'Brien, Mary Blatchford and Avril Taylor

University of Glasgow, Glasgow and Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, Glasgow

The risk of transmission of HIV or hepatitis B from infectious health care workers to patients is low. However, inadvertent exposure causes great concern amongst patients of an infected health care worker.

The patients of a Scottish dentist diagnosed hepatitis B e antigen positive were informed by letter of their exposure. A sample of patients was sent a postal questionnaire. Most (56%) respondents reported feeling anxious on receiving the letter but almost all (93%) thought patients should always be informed following treatment by an infectious health care worker, although the risk was very small.

We discuss clinical and ethical factors relating to informing patients following exposure to an infectious health care worker. We suggest that a balance should be struck between patients' wishes to know of risks to which they have been exposed, however small, and the professional view that when risks are negligible, patients need not be informed.

Key Words: Disease transmission - professional to patient • health personnel • dentists • patient information • truth disclosure • hepatitis B • HIV

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• Kagan, I., Lee Ovadia, K., Kaneti, T. (2008). Physicians' and Nurses' Views On Infected Health Care Workers. Nurs Ethics 15: 573-585 [Abstract]  
• Shaw, D (2008). Dentistry and the ethics of infection. J. Med. Ethics 34: 184-187 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
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• Pinching, A. J (2000). Infectious health care workers: should patients be told?. J. Med. Ethics 26: 34-36 [Full Text]