Key points
- Clinicians can contact patients' relatives about possible inherited genetic risks
- Public health legal adviser Dr Jane Tiller argues this is critical for prevention of disease caused by genetic factors
- Dr Tiller's new MJA paper clarifies the privacy situation
Australia's national privacy regulator recently confirmed that clinicians may contact a patient's relatives about possible inherited genetic risks - with the patient's consent - without breaching privacy laws.
A new paper by Monash University Public Health Genomics Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser Dr Jane Tiller, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), details the discretion available to clinicians.
Dr Tiller said letting family members know about their genetic risks was critical, especially for conditions where actions could be taken to prevent disease, such as some cancers or heart disease. "Individuals cannot make informed decisions about whether to have genetic testing if they are not aware of their possible risk," Dr Tiller said.
