The Ethics of Uncertainty in Clinical Genetics Testing

Update Item Information
Publication Type honors thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department Philosophy
Faculty Mentor Leslie Francis
Creator Scholes, Connor G.
Title The Ethics of Uncertainty in Clinical Genetics Testing
Date 2019
Description Recent years have seen the explosive development of genetics and its subsequent use in medical practice. In the face of such rapid technological advancement that impacts the health of thousands each year and constitutes a multi-million-dollar industry, ethical analysis of the various shortcomings these tests imply is desperately needed. This work constitutes a part of that analysis, addressing the ethical significance of the underlying procedures and data used to understand and classify genetic variants. In analyzing the American College of Medical Genetics' standard guidelines, three broad categories of evidence are identified which distinguish between data obtained from structural analysis, database and model use, and family history. Various sources of uncertainty are identified by probing into the explanatory weaknesses of each kind of data and how they are used to make classification decisions. Subsequent analysis describes how these various sources of uncertainty, along with others, affect the process of result communication to patients. In conclusion, a view of genetic uncertainty is compared to the presented, to highlight areas of particular concern for further ethical discussion.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject American; College of Medical Genetics; Subsequent
Language eng
Rights Management (c) Connor G. Scholes
Format Medium application/pdf
Permissions Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6xh5fbt
ARK ark:/87278/s6tx94kz
Setname ir_htoa
ID 1589672
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6tx94kz
Back to Search Results