Ethics of genetic testing

Abstract Genetic testing has become more prevalent in medical practice, and with it comes ethical considerations. There are two states in which a physician reaches an ethical crossroad with genetic testing. The first is determining whether to order genetic testing for a patient. Like any diagnostic criteria, the physician assesses the patient history and may directly order a specific genetic test. Recently, however, a physician may also find that the patient brings the results of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) commercial company health-related genetic test into the office for discussion. Knowing the types of genetic testing and what the results may mean is paramount before ordering tests or returning results. Regardless, when returning results, the second ethical crossroad has been reached; namely, establishing how the results are conveyed to the patient and if there are any potential interventions and/or outcomes. Using a number of case studies, the authors highlight some ethical considerations of genetic testing that a physician needs to deliberate at each of these crossroads and how genetic testing may impact their patients mentally and physically. Although specialists in this space often deliberate these ethical topics, this article provides insight into genetic testing for those outside of the specialist setting.