Caring for pediatric patients with HIV: personal concerns and ethical dilemmas

Abstract

An informal survey was conducted to determine nurses' professional and personal concerns related to caring for pediatric patients with HIV. Thirty registered nurses participated by responding to written open-ended questions. Risk of exposure in the workplace and fear of transmission to self or family are examples of the issues raised. Many phrased their responses as ethical dilemmas related to the principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, autonomy, veracity, and privacy/confidentiality. A bioethics consultant's view of many of the issues discussed will immediately follow this article.