Confidentiality Vs Conundrum Essay
GenEthics:
The
Confidentiality vs. Duty to Warn Conundrum
GenEthics:
The
Confidentiality vs. Duty to Warn Conundrum
This report will examine the ethical conundrum of patient confidentiality vs. a doctor’s duty to warn a patient of a potential health risk (see Appendix one for scenario). Primarily, this report will argue that patient confidentiality cannot be overruled, as there is not adequate legal or ethical reasoning to do so and as such, Jane’s doctor should not inform her children of their potential mutated gene.
A gene can be defined as ‘A sequence of DNA that carries the information required to make a molecule, usually a protein’ (Yourgenome.org: 2010). Deoxyribonucleic acid, …show more content…
In humans, when a male sperm cell and a female egg cell combine to produce a zygote, specific genes from the two parents are combined. The genes that are selected for this new child are based on their dominant or recessive qualities.
Genetic mutation is defined by Wordnetweb.princeton (2010) as being ‘Any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism’. This mutation can occur for a variety of reasons; exposure to radiation, environmental factors (including ultra-violet light) or genetic construction …show more content…
If there are any serious imperfections in the gene code, then it is highly likely that a mutation has occurred to the BRCA1 gene, and the patient is informed as such (Healthwise: 2011). However, this highly invasive test can cause extreme anxiety and, if every medical practitioner notified relatives if cancer patients so that genetic testing could be conducted, many of the relatives of these cancer patients would suffer further anxiety, while additional financial strain would be placed on the already limited resources
The
Confidentiality vs. Duty to Warn Conundrum
GenEthics:
The
Confidentiality vs. Duty to Warn Conundrum
This report will examine the ethical conundrum of patient confidentiality vs. a doctor’s duty to warn a patient of a potential health risk (see Appendix one for scenario). Primarily, this report will argue that patient confidentiality cannot be overruled, as there is not adequate legal or ethical reasoning to do so and as such, Jane’s doctor should not inform her children of their potential mutated gene.
A gene can be defined as ‘A sequence of DNA that carries the information required to make a molecule, usually a protein’ (Yourgenome.org: 2010). Deoxyribonucleic acid, …show more content…
In humans, when a male sperm cell and a female egg cell combine to produce a zygote, specific genes from the two parents are combined. The genes that are selected for this new child are based on their dominant or recessive qualities.
Genetic mutation is defined by Wordnetweb.princeton (2010) as being ‘Any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism’. This mutation can occur for a variety of reasons; exposure to radiation, environmental factors (including ultra-violet light) or genetic construction …show more content…
If there are any serious imperfections in the gene code, then it is highly likely that a mutation has occurred to the BRCA1 gene, and the patient is informed as such (Healthwise: 2011). However, this highly invasive test can cause extreme anxiety and, if every medical practitioner notified relatives if cancer patients so that genetic testing could be conducted, many of the relatives of these cancer patients would suffer further anxiety, while additional financial strain would be placed on the already limited resources