Psychological aspects of genetic counseling: A legal perspective

✍ Scribed by Sharpe, Neil F.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 688 KB
• Volume: 50
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-7299
• DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1320500305

✦ Synopsis

Carrier and presymptomatic genetic testing information can have profound psychological consequences for a patient and the family. American and Canadian professional accreditation standards for clinical genetics state that the health care provider must be prepared to provide psychological support. Through a survey of humadmedical genetics journals and texts, this article identifies those protocols that constitute an appropriate standard of care, and examines the legal implications, particularly with regard to the law of medical malpractice. o 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc. KEY WORDS: genetic counseling, duty of care, duty to monitor, duty to provide appropriate aftercare, duty to refer, Huntington disease, presymptomatic, psychotherapeutic counseling INTRODUCTION Genetic information can provoke a host of psychological responses, including shock, denial, anxiety, depression, shame, and guilt [