Slr Em Education - Informed Consent To Perform Hiv Testing Template Page 2
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3HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
HIV testing is especially important for pregnant women.
• HIV is passed from one person to another during unprotected sex (vaginal, anal or oral
• An infected mother can pass HIV to her child during pregnancy or birth or through
breastfeeding.
sex without a condom) with someone who has HIV.
• It is much better to know your HIV status before or early in pregnancy so you can make
• HIV is passed through contact with blood as in sharing needles (piercing, tattooing or
important decisions about your own health and the health of your baby.
injecting drugs of any kind) or sharing works with a person who has HIV.
• If you are pregnant and have HIV, treatment is available for your own health and to
prevent passing HIV to your baby. If you have HIV and do not get treatment, the chance
The only way to know if you have HIV is to be tested.
of passing HIV to your baby is one in four. If you get treatment, your chance of passing
HIV to your baby is much lower.
• HIV tests are safe. They involve collecting one or more specimens (blood, oral fluid,
• If you are not tested during pregnancy, your provider will recommend testing when you
urine).
are in labor. In all cases, your baby will be tested after birth. A positive test on your
• Your counselor or doctor will explain your test result as well as any other tests you may
baby means that you have HIV and your baby has been exposed to the virus.
need.
If you test positive:
Your HIV test today includes:
State law protects the confidentiality of your test results and also protects you from
• A test to see if you have HIV infection (an antibody test or a test for the virus);
discrimination based on your HIV status.
• If you are HIV positive, additional tests may include tests to:
• In almost all cases, you will be asked to give written approval before your HIV test
result can be shared.
• help your doctor decide the best treatment for you.
• Your HIV information can be released to health providers caring for you or your
• help guide the health department with HIV prevention programs.
exposed child; to health officials when required by law; to insurers to permit payment;
to persons involved in foster care or adoption; to official correctional, probation and
Several testing options are available.
parole staff; to emergency or health care staff who are accidentally exposed to your
blood; or by special court order.
• You can choose to have a confidential test where the result becomes part of your
• The names of persons with HIV are reported to the State Health Department for track-
medical record and can be given to your health care provider for HIV and other health
ing the epidemic and for planning services.
care services, or
• The HIV Confidentiality Hotline at 1-800-962-5065 can answer your questions and help
• You can choose to have an anonymous test, which means that you don’t give your name
with confidentiality problems.
and no record is kept of the test result. If your anonymous test is HIV-positive, you can
• The New York State Division of Human Rights at 1-800-523-2437 can help if you think
choose to give your name later so you can get medical care more quickly.
you’ve been discriminated against based on your HIV status.
• To get more information about options for testing and free or anonymous testing sites,
ask your counselor/doctor or call 1-800-541-AIDS.
Your counselor/doctor will talk with you about notifying your sex or needle-sharing
partners of possible exposure to HIV.
• Your partners need to know that they may have been exposed to HIV so they can be
HIV testing is important for your health.
tested and get treated if they have HIV.
• If your test result is negative, you can learn how to protect yourself from being infected
• If your health care provider knows the name of your spouse or other partner, he or she
in the future.
must report the name to the health department.
• If your test result is positive:
• Health department counselors can help notify your partner(s) without ever telling them
your name.
• You can take steps to prevent passing the virus to others.
• To ensure your safety, your counselor or doctor will ask you questions about the risk of
• You can receive treatment for HIV and learn about other ways to stay healthy. As
domestic violence for each partner to be notified.
part of treatment, additional tests will be done to determine the best treatment for
• If there is any risk, the Health department will not notify partners right away and will
you. These tests may include viral load and viral resistance tests.
assist you in getting help.
DOH-2556i (6/05) page 2 of 4
DOH-2556i (6/05) page 3 of 4
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