MBA 7850 IA Chapter 12 Case Study

MBA 7850 IA

Andrew Ussery

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Chapter 12 – Case Study

1.) Which perspective do you agree with, Sandy’s or Grace’s? Why?

I personally agree with Sandy in this case study. Personally, it is not right to violate a person’s right to privacy or a person’s right to give consent. Also, that not only good can come from taking liberties but so can harm. However, I do feel that it is the responsibility of the doctor to use all information/resources, available to them, to care for the patients.

2.) Do you think there are important differences between the cases of Henrietta Lacks, Jean, and the Havasupai? Explain your answer.

In these cases, consent was not given to the doctors. However, in the case of Jean it was used and intended to save her life. I feel that if the doctors were to ignore the information or did not have the information the result would have been catastrophic. I’m sure in this instance Jean’s father would have been okay with using his information to save his child but even if that were not the case, the Doctor had a duty to treat Jean. In the case of Henrietta, she was never told that her cells were going to be used for a study; therefore, her rights were taken and the ethics behind their actions were unforgivable. In the case of the Havasupai, they gave consent but ultimately what the blood was used for was not its intended consent. Like in the case of Henrietta Lacks, their rights were violated as well.

4.) Are there cases of advances in medical knowledge that do not at least potentially, threaten to violate the privacy of individual patients?

There are thousands of clinical trials, or organizational specific trials, every year that do not threaten to violate the privacy of patients. Most times, these trials are voluntary by the patient and can result in significant amounts of information than what was previously known.

5.) Does a patient have the right to use the genetic information on members of her direct-lineage family members? Information on members of her extended family or relatives? Information on patients with a similar condition?

It is inappropriate for someone to disclose someone else’s genetic information without consent, unless it is your bloodline children. If consent has been gathered through appropriate channels and full disclosure has been enacted, the knowledge gained should be used in a useful and appropriate way for treating others with similar conditions.

6.) What moral, ethical, and legal protocols can be considered in guiding clinicians in this case?

7.) What moral, ethical, and legal protocols can be considered in guiding researchers in this case?

• Standardizing genomic information.
• Creating an opt-in / opt-out approach to the inclusion of information in Health IT systems.
• Creating channels for attaining consent from individuals before using their genetic information.
• Enforcing a high-level curriculum which must be obtained through higher education
• Establishing an accreditation agency, specifically for the credentials of any genomic practitioner involved within the process