Like other serious infectious diseases, AIDS gives rise to a fundamental conflict between personal rights and public health. The recently developed test to detect antibody to the viral agent for AIDS is now predominantly being used to screen blood donors but it may spread to other settings. The possibility to demonstrate who is positive for the AIDS virus has raised a number of questions concerning the report-ability and confidentiality of test results; the right not to know and not to be informed about carrier status; the importance of informed consent as a requirement for testing; and the civil liberties of persons demonstrated to be seropositive. It is argued that public health policies should respect individual freedom and responsibility, not only because basic human rights are at stake, but also because such an approach is likely to be more effective in controlling the disease.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1986

[Registration of medical data and protection of privacy].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Confidentiality↗

PubMed1985

[Treatment under coercion].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders↗

PubMed1985

Worker control over occupational health services: the development of legal rights in the EEC.

This article presents an analysis of the legal developments with respect to worker control over occupational health services. It gives a survey of legislation in the member states of the European Economic Community (EEC), in particular as to how worker involvement in occupational health services is organized and what it entails in terms of access to information, supervision of the health expert's work, and participation in decisions on selection of service and staff. Although worker participation in the organization and functioning of occupational health services is recognized as a matter of principle in several countries, disparity exists concerning the arrangements adopted for this purpose. It is shown, that - on the whole - legal rights concerning the supervision of the health specialist's work remain rather limited in scope. Finally, the question is discussed which legislative measures could improve the workers' position vis-à-vis occupational health services and their professional staff and to what extent the transformation of occupational health services into public institutions would remove the limitations inherent in any form of worker participation at enterprise level.

Belgium↗

PubMed1983

Issues in the accessibility and confidentiality of patient records.

Traditional understandings of confidentiality are no longer sufficient to deal with the privacy issues raised by a modern health care system. Patient data are increasingly kept by large and relatively faceless institutions. Disclosure of health information is not an exception, but a matter of daily routine, not only for uses within the health care system itself, but also for various social purposes. This paper highlights a number of issues, related to these structural changes. A distinction is made between four main problem areas: basic issues, collection and keeping of data, patient access to records, disclosure of individually identifiable data. Under each heading, four issues are discussed.

Confidentiality↗