Ethico-legal aspects of the protocol for needlestick injuries.

Although protocols vary from institution to institution in South Africa, there seem to be some common threads that raise persistent ethico-Iegal problems. Most institutions require that the patient's blood should be taken and be submitted for immediate testing along with the HCW's blood. This policy might lead to an HCW or patient being told in the middle of the night that he/she is HIV-positive, without having had adequate counselling. It may also mean blood being taken from a source patient who has not given personal consent.