It has been previously reported, much to many wellness experts’ dismay, that thanks to an oversight in new legislation, keeping your sexually transmitted infection (STI) to yourself may soon become a thing of the past. Currently, NHS sexual health or Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) clinics have to assign unique identification numbers to attendees which are entirely separated from general medical records and NHS numbers. This means that your family doctor doesn’t have to see that once you got treated for syphilis, but that’s set to change.
The recent Health and Social Care Act is set to remove the requirement for STI Clinics to hold their data on separate stand alone systems. Critics have called this an unnecessary step which could affect the wellbeing of those who are infected with STIs, as they may be less likely to seek treatment if they know that their GP may find out about it. But is there a positive side to the story?
In the case of HIV, there’s a good reason why we should be trying to break down the walls between the sexual health clinic and the GP practice. When you have HIV, you need hospital monitoring, as well as considerable support provided by primary care physicians and complex antiretroviral drugs which can interact with a number of over-the counter and commonly prescribed medicines. Hence, HIV should now be regarded as a chronic medical condition, and GPs who don’t have full access to the records of individuals with HIV could put the patient’s and their sexual partners’, health at a significant and dangerous risk.
Moreover, over the last 10 years, researchers have been finding and developing better treatment for HIV, and so many people with the condition are living longer. This means that they are likely to conditions best addressed by their GP rather than an HIV specialist, and so once diagnosed, it makes sense for HIV patients to use their generic NHS numbers. Easing the rules of confidentiality with regards to diagnosed cases of HIV may help doctors to be able to normalise HIV testing and care, and help people to realise the huge benefits testing brings.
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