29th September 2021

You are working on the acute medical unit, and have just clerked a patient

You are working on the acute medical unit, and have just clerked a patient who is being admitted for the treatment of pneumonia. The patient disclosed to you that he is HIV positive, having been diagnosed around 20 years ago. He asks you to keep this information off of his medical notes whilst he is in hospital, as he knows some members of staff. From his most recent clinic letter, you see that his viral load is almost undetectable, and the disease is very well controlled.

Shortly afterwards, a ward phlebotomist attends to take his bloods, and suffers a needlestick injury. You subsequently ask the patient if you can disclose his HIV status, to which he declines.

Which of the following statements about this situation is most correct?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.