To know or not to know? Integrating ethical aspects of genomic healthcare in the education of health professionals

Abstract

Novel possibilities for employing genetic testing as part of the diagnostic process for a wide variety of diseases and conditions are emerging almost every day. This development brings prospects of more efficient treatment and prevention of serious and often lethal conditions. However, it also raises ethical questions concerning the issue of knowing or not knowing about our genetic make-up. Thus, as techniques for genetic testing are increasingly employed, demands on health professionals are changing. Health professionals must be able to inform and guide patients, and therefore they need knowledge and competencies related to both the technical and the ethical dimensions of genetic testing. This paper explores the requirements of the general education of health professionals if this need for ethics is acknowledged. It is suggested that it is important to include both an individualised and a societal ethical perspective to the development of genomic healthcare and that a key concept in doing so is 'professional reflectivity'. Employing one concrete example of teaching, this concept of reflectivity is operationalised in the health educational setting at the bachelor's level with a special focus on biomedical laboratory science, and three key concepts are developed: Gap sensitive interaction, professional humility, and contextual awareness. Additionally, anchored ethical dialog is explored as an instructional design that may support the development of reflectivity among health professionals.