Scenario: A patient with no known next of kin was undergoing anopen-chest surgical procedure under general anesthesia. During theprocedure, the surgeon accidentally cuts his finger with thescalpel and his open wound was exposed to the patient's blood. Itwas unknown at the time whether the patient was HIV positive.
Does the physician have any legal right to order HIV testing ofthe patient's blood immediately, without the patient's consent, sothat he knows whether he has been exposed to the HIV virus?
What are the legal or ethical issues involved in making such adecision?
If you were the hospital counselor administrator and werepresented with this issue, what would you advise in order to limitthe hospital’s liability?
