NCJ Number
115244
Date Published
1988
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents guidelines and recommendations regarding notification of partners of HIV-infected persons as a means for infection control.
Abstract
Programs should emphasize that seropositive persons have a responsibility to inform their partners and refer them to counseling and testing sites or health care providers. Principles that should underly programs include voluntariness, accessibility, confidentiality, and quality assurance. Information on HIV infection should be provided and services should be targeted to specified populations. Notification models may be based on patient, provider, or institutional referrals or a combination of these. Programs should include community involvement and evaluation of partner notification approaches and other HIV prevention efforts. In designing a program, consideration should be given to financial resources, community seroprevalence rates, awareness levels among at-risk populations, differing transmission rates among subpopulations, and recency of the partners' exposure. In certain cases, where the index patient fails to uphold his or her duty to protect others, the service provided may invoke a privilege to disclose to protect an unsuspecting third party from harm. This privilege should be invoked only as a last resort. A list of task force members is included.