Scenario #1: A patient comes into the physician clinic and is diagnosed with chlamydia. The patient admits to the physician that he has had a new sexual partner recently. The physician urges the patient to discuss his medical condition with the patient's wife. The patient is reluctant to do so.
Scenario #2: A woman is diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection and is subsequently reported to the public health department. A public health nurse visit her, but the woman refuses to name her sexual contacts.
- What are the ethical and legal issues in these cases? Are they different?
- What is the duty of the physician and the public health nurse in these scenarios?