"Genetic and Genomic Healthcare: Ethical Issues of Importance to Nurses"
Topic
Nurses are at the forefront of patient care, and will participate fully in genetic-based and genomic-based practice activities, such as collecting family history, obtaining informed consent for genetic testing, and administering gene-based therapies. Nurses will therefore have a critical role advocating for, educating, counseling, and supporting patients and families who are making gene-based healthcare decisions (Cassells, Jenkins, Lea, Calzone, & Johnson, 2003). Nurses will need to be able to effectively translate genetic and genomic information to their patients with an understanding of associated ethical issues. This new direction in healthcare calls for nurses to integrate into their scope of practice the emerging field of genetics and genomics. The increased availability of personal genetic information also challenges nurses to understand the ethical issues associated with activities such as informed decision making, informed consent and genetic testing, genetic and genomic research testing protection, maintaining privacy and confidentiality of genetic information, preventing genetic discrimination, and strengthening genetic and genomic care around the world (Lea, 2008).
Cassells, J.M., Jenkins, J., Lea D.H., Calzone K., & Johnson E. (2003). An ethical assessment framework for addressing global genetic issues in clinical practice. Oncology Nursing Forum, 30(3), 383-90.
Lea, D, (2008). Genetic and genomic healthcare: Ethical issues of importance to nurses. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 13 (1). DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol13No01Man04
The Final paper will consist of a 7-10 page paper, not including the title page, abstract or reference page. You must answer each question in full detail. You are required to use APA level 1 headings in your paper for every question listed below. Please refer to your APA 6th edition manual.
1. Explain how nurses can be familiar with the nature and sources of genetic information so that they can assure privacy and confidentiality for their patients?
2. Describe how your ANA Code to Ethics book defines Privacy?
3. A woman who tests positive for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer informs you, her nurse, that she does not wish to share this information with her sisters and her mother as she does not get along with them. The concern for her sisters and mother is that each of them now has a 1 in 2 chance to carry the same breast/ovarian cancer gene mutation that confers a significantly increased risk to develop breast/ovarian cancer. Defend how you, the nurse, can be guided by the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses to seek help and counsel from experienced individuals of the Ethics Board within your institution.
4. Do you, the nurse, have "the legal authority to breach the confidentiality of the client-nurse relationship to disclose genetic information about one individual to another individual"?
5. Propose how a solution for this ethical dilemma that arises for nurses and other healthcare providers when a patient does not choose to share genetic information with other family members when it may be important to their health.
6. Contrast respect for the patient's confidentiality, while on the other hand the duty to warn other family members of their potential health risks.
7. Explain the impact of genetic information. How does a person's genetic information affect that individual and society's perception of that individual?
Support your statements with specific references from the readings and any outside sources that you have discovered. Cite at least five references in the finished work. Save your project in a Microsoft Word document.