Approved by Executive Committee, December 1991

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection or risk of HIV infection is not a reason to deny a child admission to a psychiatric hospital.

All patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital should be treated as if they were HIV infected. Even if all patients were tested on admission for antibodies to HIV, one is still not sure of infection status due to the potential latency period of antibody response documenting infection.

Universal precautions should be employed for any secretions, including blood for any psychiatric inpatient. There is no need for a change in management for an HIV infected child if universal precautions are used for all inpatients.

It is recommended that children not be routinely tested for HIV infection prior to admission. Testing should be considered for children at high risk for infection including, but not limited to, homosexual/bisexual males, persons who have abused IV drugs, children of HIV positive mothers, patients with multiple sexual partners and those having received blood transfusions prior to 1985.

HIV positive or potentially positive patients do not require individual rooms or toilet facilities. HIV infected, or potentially infected, patients do not need to be isolated in regards to the milieu or peer groups. Such patients should participate in all aspects of the inpatient treatment program.

All HIV antibody testing must be done with informed consent. It is not enough just to have a consent form signed but it must be document that the person authorizing testing is fully informed of the consequences of both a positive or negative result. There are specific laws regarding confidentiality of HIV antibody testing results and who authorizes consent in minors. These laws vary form state to state. Prior to obtaining consent, ensure the laws are understood.

Results of patients' HIV antibody tests will be maintained in a confidential manner. A patient's HIV status should be shared only with those staff who need to know the status to appropriately care for the child while an inpatient. Sharing of HIV status should, of course, be in compliance with applicable state and federal law.