Leave contact tracing for a follow-up appointment

Contact tracing means getting in touch with current and former partners, who may have been exposed to HIV, to encourage them to get an HIV test.

Patients can do contact tracing themselves. If the patient needs additional support, the local public health unit can assist.

Contact tracing can require disclosure of the patient’s HIV status. This prospect can be very frightening for a person with a new HIV diagnosis. Safe and effective disclosure is a skill that takes some time to acquire.

If possible, leave the discussion of contact tracing for a second follow-up appointment.