Management of HIV/AIDS transmission in health care

The risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection following occupational exposure to HIV-infected blood is low (DoH 2000). This raises issues of how best to balance the competing demands of maximising patient safety and health, protecting nurses’ health, safety and employment rights, and preventing unnecessary alarm in the general population. This article examines different aspects of dealing with the prevention and management of potential HIV/AIDS transmission in the healthcare setting