MANDATORY HIV TESTING - SHOULD MISCONCEPTIONS DICTATE POLICY

The issue of mandatory HIV testing for patients and health-care workers is controversial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proposed that health-care professionals who perform exposure-prone procedures should determine their HIV status. Although the risk of transmission of HIV from health professionals to patients is quite low, the risk of transmission from patients to health professionals is significant, Instead of calling for mandatory HIV testing, society needs to focus on education about the modes of HIV transmission.