Principle of Healthcare Ethics and Genetics The introduction of rapid growth of inexpensive, direct-to-consumer (DTC) ge

Principle of Healthcare Ethics and Genetics

The introduction of rapid growth of inexpensive, direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing creates both opportunities and complicated ethical issues in nursing practice. On the one hand, greater access facilitates patient control, prompt disease detection, and individual prevention measures. Patients do not need standard healthcare gatekeeping to access the information about carrier status, pharmacogenomic profiles, and predisposition to such diseases as breast cancer or cardiovascular disease. This is consistent with the precision health programs and helps preventive health care (Lashley, 2023).

Nevertheless, there are a number of moral and legal issues that should be given a special attention. Of particular importance is age. The idea of testing minors in cases of adult-onset disorders like Huntington’s disease, brings up the issue of informed consent and the future freedom of that child. Generally, professional standards do not promote predictive testing in children unless it has an apparent and urgent medical advantage (Biesecker and Green, 2021). Genetic discrimination in the workplace or insurances is also a social issue, even with laws like the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) that provides protection in the United States, but not life or disability insurance (Prince, 2022). Moreover, genetic literacy differences can also contribute to health disparities with people who lack understanding misinterpreting results without proper counseling.

Other ethical issues are privacy and data security. DTC companies use this data to conduct research or sell it commercially, and the use of genetic data has become a source of concern because of the question of confidentiality and secondary use of data (Roberts et al., 2021). As a nurse, advocacy and education are very necessary. The nurses should be able to make informed choices, explain the restrictions of the tests, and take care of psychosocial consequences, such as anxiety or family conflict.

Altogether, despite the fact that expanded genetic testing leads to the creation of personalized care, it should be balanced with measures that would combat consent, privacy, discrimination, and equitable access. Clinical practice needs strong counseling, regulatory guidance, and continued professional education to be ethically integrated into the clinical practice.

References

Biesecker, L. G., & Green, R. C. (2021). Diagnostic clinical genome and exome sequencing. The New England Journal of Medicine, 385(25), 2340–2351.

Lashley, F. R. (2023). Essentials of genetics in nursing practice (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Prince, A. E. R. (2022). Prevention for those who can pay: Insurance reimbursement of genetic-based preventive interventions in the United States. American Journal of Bioethics, 22(1), 15–27.

Roberts, J. S., Gornick, M. C., Carere, D. A., Uhlmann, W. R., Ruffin, M. T., & Green, R. C. (2021). Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: User motivations, decision making, and perceived utility of results. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(4), 933–943.