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Chapter 21 - Ethical Issues in Clinical Genetics

from Section 2 - Consultation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2022

By
Thomas May ,
Kelly East ,
Whitley Kelley  and
Jana Craig
Edited by
D. Micah Hester  and
Toby L. Schonfeld
D. Micah Hester
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine
Toby L. Schonfeld
Affiliation:
National Center for Ethics in Health Care, US Department of Veterans Affairs
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Summary

Ethical issues in genetics are studied and addressed under the rubric of what is commonly referred to as “ELSI”: the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of genetics. In this chapter, we will focus on a subset of ELSI issues in genetic medicine that surround common applications of genetics in general clinical settings. Common ethical issues arising for healthcare ethics committee (HEC) members from genetic technology gravitate toward concerns to assure that genetic testing results are utilized in ethically appropriate ways to identify risk, and develop treatment or health maintenance plans consistent with patient values. This will most commonly take the general form of: (1) protecting against harms that are motivated by unreliable results; (2) promoting informed consent by addressing misunderstanding, misapplication, or unwarranted reaction to genetic testing results on the part of either patients, their families, or members of the healthcare team; or (3) assuring that patient privacy is maintained and applied in appropriate circumstances.

Type
Chapter
Information
Guidance for Healthcare Ethics Committees , pp. 183 - 190
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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