genetic counselling Flashcards
what is genetic counselling?
it is a process of communication that deals with the problems associated with the occurrence or risk of occurrence of genetic disorders in a family
what are the dimensions considered in genetic testing?
practical, psychosocial, emotional, ethical
what is the practical dimension?
screening, prevention, testing, preparation and family planning
what are the ethical considerations of screening?
autonomy, beneficence, non maleficence, justice, non directiveness
what are the psychosocial considerations of testing?
preparation, contact with other families and agencies, balanced information and adjustment
what are some issues for individuals?
guilt, extended family and reproductive implications, genetic testing and adjustment to a risk status
what are the issues for the genetic counsellors?
limitations to knowledge, technology, outcome measures, services and guidelines emotional toll confidentiality consent disclosure or proactivity neutrality
what are the aims of the genetic counsellors?
understand and communicate medical facts, understand the inheritance mechanism and the risk of reccurrence, understand the options and appropriate course of action and make the individual have the best possible adjustment to the status
what can genetic testing be used for?
diagnostic predictive pre natal pre conception generic mendelian conditions such as haemochromatosis or chromsomal conditions such as Down Syndrome family Hx of cancer prenatal clinic specific clinics for certain conditions such as HDD or neurofibromatosis
what is pre conception testing?
it is a pre implantation genetic diagnosis where there are IVF techniques to produce embryos which can be tested to see which are affected
what information is required for genetic testing?
medical and social history and diagnosis including the age. The information given to the individual must include the confirmation of the diagnosis, the genetic test reports, information on condition, inheritance and recurrence and the choices for screening, reproduction and testing
what condition can result in infertility?
CF, Klinefelters
what can a prenatal diagnosis result in?
termination of pregnancy and loss of planned parenthood
in adulthood when is genetic testing done?
after they have been confirmed to have inherited a faulty gene or notice symptoms
when does survival guilt occur?
when the predictive test is a good result
what are the issues in families around positive results?
refusal to tell other members, refusal to give consent for medical information, guilt and blame and stigma
what are the ethical issues facing genetic testing?
culture and religion, consanguinity, belief in science, pressures to have children, language, assumptions around certain ethnic groups