Question: One Of A Physician’s Patients, A Well-respected Citizen In A Small Community, Saw The Doctor With A Complaint Of Blood In His Urine (hematuria). The Physician Asked The Patient If He’d Had Any New Sexual Partners Recently, And The Patient Admitted That He Had. The Physician Explained To The Patient That His Urine Specimen Had Been Positive For STI …

One of a physician’s patients, a well-respected citizen in asmall community, saw the doctor with a complaint of blood in hisurine (hematuria). The physician asked the patient if he’d had anynew sexual partners recently, and the patient admitted that he had.The physician explained to the patient that his urine specimen hadbeen positive for STI chlamydia. The physician urged the patient todiscuss his medical condition with the patient’s wife, who was alsothe physician’s patient, but the man was reluctant.

• If the patient refuses to confide in the wife, what should thephysician do?
• What are the legal issues in this case? What are the ethicalissues?