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Michael B. Hagen, MD; Klemmens B. Meyer, MD; Stephen G. Pauker, MD
Boston

JAMA. 1988;260(2):180-181.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In Reply.—

The comments of our colleagues reflect the stress to which the growing HIV epidemic subjects our profession. They offer two main arguments for preoperative testing for HIV infection—to decrease risk to the physician and to provide better care for the patient. Let us consider them in turn.

A patient who needs our help but who can fatally infect us frightens everyone. Even before the appearance of HIV we faced risks: exposure to radiation, to bacterial or viral pathogens, and even occasionally to violent patients. When professional practice becomes a personal risk, we each must choose how much risk are we willing to accept. But to . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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