Abstracts
Abstract
A professional commitment to patient confidentiality may sometimes contradict other principles of bioethics. Decision-making for doctors and their team can be challenging amidst such conflicting principles, and despite the practitioner’s best intentions, withholding information can result in potential consequences such as harm to others.
Keywords:
- bioethics,
- professionalism,
- confidentiality,
- genetic disorder,
- amelogenesis imperfecta
Résumé
Un engagement professionnel en faveur de la confidentialité des patients peut parfois être en contradiction avec d’autres principes de bioéthique. La prise de décision pour les médecins et leur équipe peut être difficile au milieu de ces principes contradictoires, et malgré les meilleures intentions du praticien, la rétention d’informations peut avoir des conséquences potentielles telles que le préjudice causé à autrui.
Mots-clés :
- bioéthique,
- professionnalisme,
- confidentialité,
- trouble génétique,
- amélogénèse imparfaite
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- 1. O’Brien J, Chantler C. Confidentiality, and the duties of care. Journal of Medical Ethics. 2003;29(1):36-40.
- 2. Canadian Medical Association. CMA Code of Ethics and Professionalism. 2018.
- 3. Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. RCDSO Code of Ethics.
- 4. Albisser Schleger H, Oehninger NR, Reiter-Theil S. Avoiding bias in medical decision-making. Lesson to be learned from psychology research. Medical Health Care & Philosophy. 2011;14(2):155-62.
- 5. Government of Ontario. Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c. 3, Sched. A (Can. Ont.).
- 6. Government of Ontario. Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 569. (Can. Ont.).
- 7. Lacroix M, Nycum G, Godard B, Knoppers BM. Should physicians warn patients’ relatives of genetic risks? CMAJ. 2008;178(5):593-595.
- 8. Dheensa S, Fenwick A, Shkedi-rafid S, Crawford G, Lucassen A. Health-care professional’s responsibility to patients’ relatives in genetic medicine: a systematic review and synthesis of empirical research. Genetics in Medicine. 2016;18(4):290-301.
- 9. Forrest LE, Delatycki MB, Skene L, Aitken M. Communicating genetic information in families-a review of guidelines and position papers. European Journal of Human Genetics. 2007;15(6):612-618
- 10. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Advice to the Profession: Protecting Personal Health Information. Toronto; 2020.
- 11. Genetics Home Reference. Amelogenesis Imperfecta. Medline Plus, US National Library of Medicine; 2020.