E-Health and Commercial Genetic Testing

Genetic profiling is a contemporary issue relating to the individual and technology which restricts access to unbiased decisions and privacy. Genetic profiling interferes with the individuals bodily, genetic and behavioural privacy, as it can be used for the benefit of identifying bodies to using the results of a DNA test to choose whether to employ one individual over another, due to future concerns. It can easily be argued that genetic profiling is in the need of law reform as a result of legal implications and the lack of individual’s rights.

What are the most serious genetic diseases and what are the pros and cons of genetic testing?

Genetic testing has brought about many changes in the way many couples look at conceiving and raising families. Through genetic testing you are able to screen for the increased chance that a fetus may have one of many congenital disorders, or even identify gene changes that are responsible for a disease that has already been diagnosed (Genetic Testing, March 2015). Unfortunately genetic testing is not always exact, in some cases giving parents false negatives or false positive results. Even if the results are accurate, there is the burden of knowledge once you know the results indicate a genetic abnormality such as Down’s syndrome. While caring for a 2 year old male patient with developmental delays and anotia, I learned that genetic testing had been started but never completed on the child. Genetic testing could help to identify genetic disorders that led to the child’s developmental delays and possible future disorders that may develop. The ethical dilemma I will be discussing to the ANA Ethical dilemma of the impact of informed consent of genetic testing on children for adult onset diseases and disorders.

The records have been reviewed. The member is an adult female with a birth date of 05/12/1964. She has a diagnosis of early stage colon carcinoma. Her treating provider, Stephen Grabelsky, MD recommended the Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Assay.

The worker contacted Misty Black who is a friend of Brittany Hardin. Mrs. Black stated “Brittany was in a situation where her ex (well she told me they were already broken up at the time) had assaulted her. Brittany had called me after Ronita Grady had hit her so I immediately called the police and made my way to Brittany. When I arrived the OCPD were already there speaking to Brittany. The officers also spoke to me and I told him I was the one who called them. After the police left Brittany and the boys stayed with me for a couple days because Brittany was still shaken up. The boys all seemed okay, I don’t think they really knew what had just happened. Brittany thanked me for helping her, because at the time we weren’t really speaking to

Genetic testing has become a highly controversial issue among both the general population and the scientific community. It is a process that exposes a person’s entire genome sequence, allowing it to be read and evaluated to identify potential risks for genetic diseases or diseases that could be passed onto offspring (Holt Productions, 2012). With thousands of genetic tests already being used, and more being established, it seems logical to put this growing technology to use. Some agree that it is a person’s right to know and understand his or her genetic makeup. However, others argue that, despite the benefits of genetic testing, caution should be used to carefully inspect the risks associated with this new technology.

Probably, applied genetics' most impacts on society are as a result of genetic tests. In general, genetic tests seek to detect some feature of a person's genetic constitution. This feature can be a disease causing mutation or a marker DNA sequence used to detect presence of another gene. Obviously these procedures used for testing the status of DNA, RNA or chromosomes are included in genetic tests. What is more it is possible to include some protein based tests and classical medical examinations when they aim to detect inheritance of a trait. Genetic tests have been divided into four categories in this text, and they will be examined in greater detail later. These categories are:

Dr. Kemp defines an electronic medical record (EMR) as “the digital version of a paper chart that contains all of a patients ' medical history from one practice” (Kemp, 2014). He also differentiates between the use of the term electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR). An EHR is more “comprehensive” than an EMR. It allows for data sharing across multiple practices. The use of both EMRs and EHRs has gained in notoriety in the last decade. And it appears that the use of these two terms is interchangeable. The idea of data sharing and having one’s health records at the click of a button is highly appealing. While there are several ethical implications to explore when dealing with computerized charting, the objective for this research review will focus primarily on three interesting concepts: autonomy, finance, and privacy, as it relates to information technology.

The Goal of the Human Genome Project is to obtain genetic mapping information and to determine the complete sequence of all human DNA by the year of 2005. The project started in 1990 and 180 million dollars are being spent on it annually. This adds up to a total of over 2 billion dollars for the 15 year budget. Of this 2 billion dollars budgeted, 5% is spent annually on the ethical, legal and social issues. This report focused on some of these issues.

The Human Genome Project introduces significant scientific findings to the world, but raises a lot of controversies. Many of these controversies concern the application of this new scientific finding and its ethicality. Genetic information from a project, once aimed towards mapping the human genome in hope for curing diseases, are now being used in businesses. It shouldn’t be permissible for employers to require that all employees, as well as potential employees, be screened for genetic vulnerabilities and to use the results of such screening when they make hiring, retention, and job assignment decisions. These genetic vulnerabilities may include diseases, unsuitable personality traits and other traits the company deems undesirable. Employees shouldn’t be judged by their genes, because the results do not adequately speak for what the employees will do in life, the employee’s position in the society, and the employee’s financial standing. Genetic testing should be an option for the employees to decide on job assignment rather than influence the hiring decisions of employers. Genetic testing only shows genetic potential, not potential growth. Conducting genetic testings on employees infringes on their privacy and encourage more social gaps with genetic classes.

Healthcare in America is in a crisis. By 1996, more than 43 million Americans were uninsured. By 2010, the number is expected to rise to 57 million. These figures are already shocking, but they are even more so considering that the healthcare costs of the US total $1.2 trillion or 15% of the gross national product (GNP) – the highest in the world.

More than six thousand genetic diseases have been discovered; however, few genetic diseases are curable. With the advancements in science and technology, genetic testing has saved the lives of millions. The process in genetic and genomic research known as Genetic testing has the capability of detecting inherited cancers, diseases and genetic abnormalities. These test can be done from the safety of one’s home without worrying if it will be detected by employers or insurance companies. Although it can be believed the results of these test can cause a great deal of stress, there is little evidence to show people undergo anxiety and distress upon receiving the results. After receiving the results, what the consumer chooses to do to improve their

With so many advances in medical technology, ethical dilemmas often accompany the advances. Genetic testing continue to be one of the most heated ethical debate in today’s health care. In 1963, newborns began to be tested for phenylketonuria (PKU), an amino acid buildup in the blood that causes mental retardation. This is the earliest genetic testing documented in the health care of the United States. Today, more than 2,500 available genetic testing are available to the public where the lowest cost reported is a DNA home kit for one hundred dollars. In 2013, the famous actress, Angelina Jolie, undergone a preventive double mastectomy after the BRCA genetic tests that revealed she was at a high

I do believe that genetic information should be kept confidential. Their are defiantly some circumstances were this could pose a threat to family members and or spouse. But overall its that persons decision whether they want their genetic information to be kept private or not. This is clearly a very controversial subject because there are so many opposing moral and ethical values that contributes to a persons genetic information being kept confidential. If there were to be anyone to know my genetic information it would be my parents, siblings, and or husband. Overall this has been hard to relate to because my family and I are very opened in regards to our genetics. If there were a situation to every come about were I was unresponsive or my

Avco is acting in a right vs. wrong manner because they are getting rid of medical waste from hospitals which is necessary to keep hospitals clean. However, they are acting in a wrong manner because they are dumping the toxic medical waste in a municipal landfill instead of a special landfill in order to save money and gain a profit. Another ethical issue is that they are knowingly breaking the law set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has banned the disposing of toxic waste in ordinary landfills, for which they have special landfills to get rid of such waste. Now, that Chantale is aware of this issue, if she does not say or do anything to make this issue be addressed, she is just as guilty as the company managers even if she has no influence. Avco lacks Corporate Social Responsibility and only caring about giving shareholders more profit. The last ethical issue is that public health is being compromised and people are unaware that it is happening in their community. According to Eckardt Beck, author of the article The Love Canal Tragedy, there is nothing wrong with disposing hazardous waste in landfills as long as they are “properly sited, managed, and