A positive is normally confirmed with a Western Blot, making false positives exceedingly rare. However, that usual step wasn’t done for some reason:
Serrano’s ordeal began in 1994 after an anonymous test at a clinic in Fitchburg showed that she was HIV positive. Serrano and her attorney, David Angueira, say they are unsure whether the initial test was a false positive, or if it was a record mix-up.A doctor at the clinic in Fitchburg put Serrano on medication intended to contain the virus without conducting separate tests to confirm the diagnosis, said Angueira.
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{ 3 comments }
See the post above by Kevin regarding patient responsibility. Did this patient really need to withold her medical records from the treating doc she is now suing? Had she been more forthcomming with her records would she have been spared injury for which she now seeks compensation?
on the other hand, it sounds as though the doc didn’t do herself any favors when she stated that the patient was a prositute – without, apparently, documenting it at the time of the visit.
How else can that appear to a jury except as an attempt to smear the patient? Especially when the physician failed in the standard of care?
Even if the patient WAS a prostitute, and HAD made her health records available, the followup WB should have been done.
It’s pretty poor form not to have confirmed that the patient was HIV+, especially if she was reluctant to turn over her old medical records. Hard to understand why that wasn’t done.
At my institution we repeat such studies as a matter of routine.
I have a friend who used to be a nurse at an community HIV clinic. She said they ALWAYS confirmed HIV tests because they had many patients lie about being positive so they could get welfare benefits.
John
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