The ELSI of Genetic Testing in the Workplace

该提案的目标是开始预测、分析和解决在关键的非医疗保健环境（即工作场所）中使用新的遗传信息和技术的伦理、法律和社会影响。对工人进行基因检测的基因技术已经在工作场所得到应用，并且随着时间的推移，其使用预计会不断增长。最近引起监管机构关注的例子使人们对职业卫生工作者是否有能力以最好的方式确保工人的健康和安全以及符合工人和社会的最大利益的方式充分处理这一问题产生了怀疑。职业医学医生很可能直接参与有关在工作场所使用此类基因技术的雇主政策的制定和实施，以及对由此产生的信息的解释和控制。因此，了解职业医学医生如何使用这项技术并确保他们充分了解其使用的道德、法律和社会影响至关重要。因此，在这个项目中，我们建议对职业医学医生进行调查，以确定他们在工作场所使用基因检测的程度以及他们对此类检测的伦理、法律和社会影响的知识和关注程度。本研究的结果将提供信息，这些信息将在后续提案中针对职业医学医师的适当教育干预措施的制定、实施和评估中具有直接效用。因此，这是预测、分析和解决因在工作场所扩大使用新兴遗传技术而产生的潜在不利伦理、法律和社会影响的必要的第一步。

The objective of this proposal is to begin to anticipate, analyze and address the ethical, legal and social implications of the use of new genetic information and technologies in a critical non-health care setting, namely the workplace. Genetic technology in the form of genetic testing of workers is already being used in the workplace, and its use can be expected to grow over time. Recent examples that have come to regulatory attention have cast doubt on the ability of the occupational health work force to adequately deal with this issue in ways that best insure worker health and safety and are in the best interests of the workers and society. It is likely that occupational medicine physicians are directly involved in the development and implementation of employer policies regarding the use of such genetic technology in the workplace, as well as the interpretation and control of the resulting information. Therefore, it is critical to understand how occupational medicine physicians are employing this technology and to ensure that they are well-informed of the ethical, legal and social implications of its use. Thus, in this project, we propose to survey occupational medicine physicians to determine the extent of their use of genetic testing in the workplace and their level of knowledge and concern regarding the ethical, legal and social implications of such testing. The results of this study will provide information that will have direct utility in the development, implementation and evaluation of appropriate educational interventions targeting occupational medicine physicians in subsequent proposals. This is therefore a necessary first step in anticipating, analyzing and addressing the potentially adverse ethical, legal and social effects arising from the expanded uses of emerging genetic technologies in the workplace.