Aids, Health-Care Workers, and Workers' Compensation in Virginia

The recent explosion of medical malpractice litigation has heralded the era of defensive medicine. Health-care professionals at all levels of the industry have been forced to evaluate both the lawsuit potential as well as the life sustaining potential of every act and treatment.' Since 1981, however, the threat of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has added a third, more threatening, perspective to the way health-care workers must view their actions. The average doctor or nurse must balance not only the medical and legal significance of every action, but must also consider whether an action might result in exposure to AIDS.