Research is often conducted without the knowledge or consent of those whose tissues are banked and poses possible harms to social groups if information about a few members is unscientifically applied to all.
Developing technologies for personalized medicine may be misused to popularize the idea that one can infer a person’s genetic makeup from observer-defined or self-reported assignment to a race or ethnic group.
The graphic novel Swallow Me Whole highlights the need for patient-centered care that engages not only patients but also extended family and the community.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(2):148-153. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.2.ecas3-1802.
Physicians working in close-knit communities, whether small towns or urban neighborhoods, have to manage relationships with people who may be simultaneously patients and neighbors, friends, and business associates.