Week 2 Dq 2

According to Fremgen (2012), every state has a statue or regulation that necessitates that all health care professionals and physicians report all cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to the department of health local or state level. This would allow Dr. K to meet his obligation in reporting the communicable disease. In some states it is also legal to inform a spouse, needle sharing partner, or other party that may be at risk of contracting the disease (Fremgen, 2012). In this case Dr. K could reach out to Brian’s partners without him depending on the state they are currently located. Dr. K could also use this as leverage to get Brian to come back in and speak about his current medical condition. This could help get Brian back into the office to talk about a treatment plan, plan to inform his sexual partner’s, and how Brian plans to cope with this new development in his life. Brian will need information on support groups and coping. If this strategy doesn’t work then maybe Dr. K can continue to reach out through email, mail, and weekly phone calls. He could also send information on local support groups in hopes that Brian would seek out help and support from a local support chapter and eventually come back and speak to me when the initial shock has worn off.

Reference:

Fremgen, B. F. (2012). Medical law and ethics: An interactive look at the decision, dilemmas, and regulations in healthcare practice today (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice