Right to privacy and confidentiality for people living with HIV and aids in accessing health care services

Abstract

People living with HIV and AIDS have a lot of serious ethical challenges including respecting their right to privacy and confidentiality when accessing health services, challenges that may cause psychological problems as well as stigmatization. Since HIV and AIDS are highly sensitive and emotionally charged issues, information about the clients’ HIV and AIDS sero-status must be considered the most confidential information and must be protected at all times. Discussions between counsellors or health care providers and supervisors, including case discussions in supervision, shall protect the privacy of PLWHA. Individuals’ confidentiality is supposed to be protected in conversations between counsellors and other staff members.

A total number of 15 informants, involving 10 People living with HIV and AIDS and 5 heath care workers were interviewed.

Data analysis was done by using content analysis technique with the help of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) called NVivo software following the study objectives and the emerging themes as reported by the study informants, as well as in line with the observation made in the study area. The findings show that a high percentage of People living with HIV and AIDS are still stigmatized by their relatives, friends and their co-worker hence they seek care and treatment far from their residents for taking anti-retroviral therapy.

A combination of intertwined factors like mismanagement of patients’ files, lack of counseling rooms in infectious disease wards as well as lack of privacy and confidentiality trainings for health care personnel accounts for dis-respecting right to privacy and confidentiality for People living with HIV and AIDS when access health services at Muhimbili National Hospital. Dis-respecting right to privacy and confidentiality undermines patients’ relationships with health care workers and also it can adversely affect the quality of care, stigmatization and discrimination as well as loss of reputation, loss or denial of their health insurance and personal embarrassment. The study concluded that there is a challenge in respecting right to privacy and confidentiality for PLWHA in accessing health care services. It is recommended that health care workers should be given short courses on ethical issues for people living with HIV and AIDS as they are in much concern with maintaining privacy that in turn protects individuals from unwanted intrusions into their file records.