COUNSELING FOR AN HIV TEST

Doctors may feel uncomfortable with the prospect of discussing a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody test with their patient. This i s in part because they do not enquire about high risk activity as part of a medical history. With increasing medical and public awareness of both the clinical manifestations and social implications of HIV infec tion, it is important that all doctors receive guidance on how to deal with these issues. Counselling is not the usual term used to describe obtaining informed consent. In the general medical setting, tests for hepatitis B and syphilis are routinely carried out without specific c onsent even though results of these tests may have profound effects on both the patient and their sexual partners. However society and ethic al considerations have made HIV testing different. HIV testing will in evitably become more widespread, and thus become a more routine part o f patient investigation and management.