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When patients are evaluated for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the possibility of HIV type 2 (HIV-2) infection should be considered in individuals who may have acquired infection in West Africa or from an individual from that area. A 45.6% error rate in HIV-2 test ordering was observed among patients at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, this was attributed in large part to the order entry screen, which may have confused ward clerks who were entering HIV testing ordered by clinicians. Modification of the order entry screen and consultation with clinical laboratory personnel for diagnostic HIV-2 testing were effective in reducing the rate of errors tenfold, to 4.3%.

Residents' health risks constitute an area of increasing concern for hospitals and residencies. This study examined the importance of health risk policies in the context of students' selection of residencies. In 1991, all 836 fourth-year students in six Ohio medical schools were surveyed about their attitudes regarding residencies' policies on drug screening, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) testing, and smoke-free workplaces. Of 763 surveys able to be delivered, 341 (45%) were returned. Substantial subsets of the students indicated that they would rank lower or not at all a program that required pre-residency drug screening (22%) or HIV testing (31%). Conversely, almost half the students (48%) responded that they would rank a program higher whose institution has a smoke-free policy. A discussion of potential factors affecting these findings is presented, with recommendations for hospitals, residencies, and residency applicants.