HIV Stigma and Discrimination 1

Kathy Huerta
ENGL 301-57
15 May 2017
Annotated Bibliography APA
Working Title:
HIV Stigma and Discrimination
Research Question:
What should hospitals do to health care personnel if they are caught discriminating against HIV

patients?

Working Thesis:
Despite the fear of HIV transmission, health care personnel should not discriminate against HIV

patients because they made a Hippocratic Oath to protect and improve the health of a patient

regardless of their health status. If health care personnel discriminate against HIV patients,

healthcare should suspend their medical license.

Introduction:
HIV, also known as the human immunodeficiency virus, is a sexually transmitted disease that

cannot be cured but can be managed with proper treatment. There is a misconception on the

transmission of HIV causing people to stigmatize and discriminate those with the virus. For

example, some health care personnel have been known to stigmatize and discriminate against

HIV patients out of fear that they will contaminate equipment and infect staff and patients.

Therefore, HIV patients dont receive medical attention for their symptoms or other medical

concerns. As a result, this causes an ethical issue for HIV individuals because as patients they

have the right to seek medical attention, however their right is being denied. Despite the fear of

HIV transmission, health care personnel should not discriminate against HIV patients because
 HIV Stigma and Discrimination 2

they made a Hippocratic Oath to protect and improve the health of a patient regardless of their

health status. If health care personnel discriminate against HIV patients, healthcare should

suspend their medical license.

Annotations:
Anderson, B.J. (2009). HIV Stigma and Discrimination Persist, Even in Health Care. AMA

Journal of Ethics. 11(12), 998-1001.

The article discusses that health care professions have an ethical duty to avoid engaging in

stigmatizing behaviors and a legal duty not to discriminate.

I will use this source to point out that health care personnel should not be discriminating anyone

at any time, therefore they should not discriminate HIV patients or anyone regardless of their

health status. Health care personnel have a legal and ethical duty to help, protect, and improve

peoples health not deny it.

Gagnon, M. (2015). Re-thinking HIV-related stigma in health care settings: A qualitative study.

Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 26(6), 703-719.

The study describes how discriminatory practices in health care personnel prevent HIV patients

from accessing health care services.

I will use this source to support my claim that health care personnel who discriminate against

HIV should have their medical license suspended because instead of improving health they are

jeopardizing health, and that is malpractice of a medical license.

Nyblade, L. Stangl, and A. Ashburn, K. (2009). Combating HIV stigma in health care settings:

What works? Journal of the International AIDS Society, 12(15).

 HIV Stigma and Discrimination 3

The article provides information and policies to health care personnel on combating HIV-related

stigma and alternatives to taking action.

I will use this source to answer the counterarguments on HIV discrimination. The article talks

about the point of views of health care personnel on denying health care services to HIV patients,

but it also mentions other ways to deal with the situation. Therefore, discrimination is not the

answer nor a way to treat a HIV patient.

Schuster, M., Collins, R., Cunningham, W., Morton, S., Zierler, S., et al. (2005). Perceived

discrimination in clinical care in a nationally representative sample of HIVinfected

adults receiving health care. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20(9), 807-813.

The study determines whether HIV-infected people perceive discrimination from health care

personnel.

I will use this article to point out the emotions and experiences of HIV patients, and explain that

is unfair that HIV patients are treated differently. It will give an insight to readers that HIV

patients face an ethical issue.