When information can save lives: the duty to warn relatives about sudden cardiac death and environmental risks

Elger, Bernice Simone; Michaud, Katarzyna; Mangin, Patrice

Scientific article

English

When information can save lives: the duty to warn relatives about sudden cardiac death and environmental risks

ContributorsElger, Bernice Simone; Michaud, Katarzyna; Mangin, Patrice

Published inThe Hastings Center report, vol. 40, no. 3, p. 39-45

Publication date2010

Abstract

In certain cases of sudden death, forensic experts may discover during an investigation or autopsy that family members of the deceased are also at risk of harm-from genetic disease, for instance. But do they have a duty to warn them? Looking at similar duties of physicians and researchers to warn third parties of risk suggests they do.

Keywords

Death, Sudden, Cardiac/etiology
Duty to Warn/ethics/legislation & jurisprudence
Environmental Exposure/adverse effects/prevention & control
Family
Forensic Pathology/ethics/legislation & jurisprudence/standards
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Heart Arrest/genetics
Humans
Risk Factors

Affiliation

Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de santé et médecine communautaires / Institut de médecine légale

Research group

Le Secret médical (676)

Citation (ISO format)

ELGER, Bernice Simone, MICHAUD, Katarzyna, MANGIN, Patrice. When information can save lives: the duty to warn relatives about sudden cardiac death and environmental risks. In: The Hastings Center report, 2010, vol. 40, n° 3, p. 39–45.

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

PID : unige:25616
PMID : 20545107

ISSN of the journal0093-0334

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When information can save lives: the duty to warn relatives about sudden cardiac death and environmental risks

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