Ethical issues in laboratory medicine

Post-test counseling involves explaining the test result, risk education counseling, condom demonstration and provision of condoms, information about the window period, and retesting. Besides these, guidelines for counseling in a certain specific subgroup of patients are available on the NACO websit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Indian journal of pathology & microbiology 2019-04, Vol.62 (2), p.357-359
Main Authors: Sinha, Madhu, Sharma, Swati, Das, Abhijit, Sud, Anuj, Rastogi, Megha, Raj, Swati
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Cellular telephones
Condoms
Consumer protection
Counseling
Diagnostic systems
Electric appliances
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Ethical standards
Ethics
Guidelines
Hazards
Hospitals
Insurance
Medical errors
Medical laboratories
Medical personnel
Medical tests
Negligence
Nosocomial infections
Patients
Physicians
Police
Privacy
Professionals
Researchers
Standardization
Subgroups
Websites
Wiring
Workflow
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Summary:Post-test counseling involves explaining the test result, risk education counseling, condom demonstration and provision of condoms, information about the window period, and retesting. Besides these, guidelines for counseling in a certain specific subgroup of patients are available on the NACO website and must be followed[2] Special guidelines apply in case of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as well. When referring a patient to a different hospitalWhen a written requisition by the court or the police is given demanding the disclosure of the reportsUnder the Insurance Act, when a patient gives up his rights on taking the insurance and the insurance company demands the reports of the patientWhen required under workmen compensation and consumer protection lawsDisease registration of a notifiable diseaseInvestigations of communicable diseasesVaccination studiesReporting of adverse drug eventsIf a person is admitted to a government hospital during police or judicial custody, his health records should be disclosed under the RTI Act Results may be used for statistical or epidemiological purposes anonymously (when the patient's personal details are excluded and only the patient data are being used). Steps for implementation of ethical practices in a laboratory:[6] Standardization of all proceduresSafe environment including proper wiring and maintenance of all electrical appliances and diagnostic equipmentEnsuring the safety of the laboratory staff from healthcare hazards by the administrationAutomation including bar-coding that decreases manual errorDifferent tiers of checking/monitoring system to detect the errors timelyRepeated training of the laboratory staffStandardized workflow of the laboratory (fixed protocol of work in different sections of the laboratory with the display of all instructions)Accountability of the technical staff and reporting doctors for safe and lawful practiceAlleviating distracting elements like mobile phones to avoid negligence by the laboratory staff.
ISSN:0377-4929
0974-5130
DOI:10.4103/IJPM.IJPM_533_18