Telling healthcare professionals

Everybody who is HIV-positive should be registered with a GP. In order for your GP to provide the most appropriate care, it is important that they know if you have any serious medical conditions, including HIV, or are taking medicines that a hospital specialist has prescribed to you, such as anti-HIV drugs. So it makes good sense that your GP knows that you have HIV.

It's good to know that GPs are not allowed to refuse to register you because you are HIV-positive, or discriminate against you in any way because you are HIV-positive or because of your sexuality, sex, race or lifestyle.

The medical records with your GP are confidential, and this confidentiality extends to everybody who works at your GP's surgery.

Some people are concerned that informing their GP that they have HIV could have implications if they apply for a mortgage or life assurance. Although your GP records are confidential it is also the case that if you apply for life cover the company will almost certainly ask about your medical history and ask to have access to your GP records. You should be aware, however, that if you fail to tell a life insurance company that you are HIV-positive when you apply for life cover it could have very serious consequences later.

Your HIV clinic may have a list of recommended GPs in your area.

When you register with a dentist, you may be asked to fill out a form describing your medical history. This may ask you if you are HIV-positive and about certain other illnesses such as hepatitis B or C. Alternatively, a dentist may directly ask you if you’re HIV-positive.

Telling your dentist you have HIV can have benefits. They can check for certain gum problems that can occur more often in people with HIV. Also, it is sensible to tell your dentist if you are taking any medication prescribed to treat HIV or any other infections, as dentists may need to use drugs that could interact with them.

According to the professional organisation for UK dentists, a dentist should not discriminate against you because you disclose your HIV status. But this has not always been the case. Dentists have sometimes claimed that they have refused treatment to people with HIV in order to protect themselves and their other patients from HIV. This is not acceptable. Standard sterilisation and infection control procedures are sufficient to ensure that no patient poses a risk to dental staff or other patients.

If you are worried about telling a dentist you could ask your HIV clinic to recommend one.

A pharmacist may ask you what medicines you are taking when they dispense a prescription or when you buy over-the-counter medication. Some over-the-counter medicines (medicines available without a doctor's prescription), for example some hayfever tablets, and antacids, can interact dangerously with certain anti-HIV drugs. It can be especially hard to maintain your confidentiality at a high street pharmacy counter, so if you do need over-the-counter medicines on a regular basis, it might be wise to discuss this with your HIV doctor or GP in order to obtain a prescription for them. Or you could try providing your a pharmacist with a written list of your medications.

Many people with HIV use complementary therapists, such as acupuncturists. If you do, you may wish to disclose your health status to them. It should not make a difference to the kind of therapy they offer you. Some complementary therapists have a lot of experience of working with people with HIV, are an excellent source of support, and have extremely high ethical standards.

However, complementary practitioners are not as well regulated as medical professionals. You may wish to check confidentiality policies before disclosing any health details.

It's worth remembering another point if you use a complementary therapist. If you are advised to take any complementary or alternative therapy, check with your doctor or HIV pharmacist that it is safe. Some alternative medicines, such as the herbal antidepressant St John's wort, can stop some anti-HIV drugs working properly. Even if you tell a complementary practitioner that you are taking anti-HIV drugs, it is not certain that they will know of any possible dangerous interactions.