ArticleEuropean journal of human genetics : EJHG2018
Using a genetic test result in the care of family members: how does the duty of confidentiality apply?
Article in European journal of human genetics : EJHG, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Public perspectives on healthcare professional-directed communication of hereditary genetic risks: a mixed-method systematic review.European journal of human genetics : EJHG · 2026Pooled it
- Disclosure of genetic information to family members: a systematic review of normative documents.Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics · 2021Pooled it
- The uptake of presymptomatic genetic testing in hereditary breast-ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome: a systematic review of the literature and implications for clinical practice.Familial cancer · 2019Pooled it
- BRCA cascade counselling and testing in Italy: current position and future directions.BMC cancer · 2025Observational
- Ethical preparedness and developments in genomic healthcare.Journal of medical ethics · 2025Article
- Development of a digital risk-prediction tool based on family health history for the general population: legal and ethical implications.Journal of community genetics · 2025Article
- Research participant perceptions of personal utility in disclosure of individual research results from genomic analysis.Journal of community genetics · 2024Article
- Ethical preparedness in health research and care: the role of behavioural approaches.BMC medical ethics · 2022Article
- In the family: access to, and communication of, familial information in clinical practice.Human genetics · 2022Article
- "If relatives inherited the gene, they should inherit the data." Bringing the family into the room where bioethics happens.New genetics and society · 2022Article
- The ethics of genomic medicine: redefining values and norms in the UK and France.European journal of human genetics : EJHG · 2021Article
- Rethinking the ethical principles of genomic medicine services.European journal of human genetics : EJHG · 2020Article
- Familial genetic risks: how can we better navigate patient confidentiality and appropriate risk disclosure to relatives?Journal of medical ethics · 2019Article
- Genomic variant sharing: a position statement.Wellcome open research · 2019Article
- Alerting relatives about heritable risks: the limits of confidentiality.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The use of genetic and genomic testing is becoming more widespread in healthcare and more inherited explanations for family history of diseases or conditions are being uncovered. Currently, relevant genetic information is not always used in the care of family members who might benefit from it, because of health professionals' fears of inappropriately breaching another family member's confidence. Such examples are likely to increase as testing possibilities expand. Here we present the case for use of familial information in the care and treatment of family members. We argue that whilst a clinical diagnosis in person A is confidential, the discovery of a familial factor that led to this diagnosis should be available for use in depersonalised form by health professionals to inform the testing and clinical care of other family members. The possibility of such use should be made clear in clinical practice at the time of initial testing, but should not require consent from the person in whom the familial factor was first identified. We call for further debate on these questions in the wake of high profile non-disclosure of genetic information cases, and forthcoming Data Protection legislation changes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.