Portuguese Public Attitudes Regarding Contact Between Healthcare Professionals and Patient's Relatives for Genetic...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Public Health
• Bioethics

Background:

• Hereditary diseases pose risks to individuals and their families.
• Understanding public attitudes towards genetic risk disclosure is crucial for policy development.
• Genetic information has implications for patient autonomy and familial responsibilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Portuguese public attitudes regarding the disclosure of genetic risks.
• To explore preferences for receiving genetic risk information and views on disclosure policies.
• To inform discussions on healthcare professionals' roles in communicating genetic information to at-risk relatives.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was conducted among 1034 Portuguese participants.
• The survey utilized 5-point Likert scale statements to assess attitudes.
• Data collection occurred via social media and in public spaces.

Main Results:

• Participants strongly preferred receiving genetic risk information from doctors (M=4.75).
• Support was lower for learning risks from close relatives first (M=3.94).
• A majority favored legislation allowing healthcare professionals to inform relatives, even without consent (M=4.47), but opposed mandatory family disclosure laws (M=3.88).

Conclusions:

• Healthcare professionals are the preferred source for genetic risk information.
• There is public support for proactive disclosure by healthcare professionals to at-risk relatives.
• Policies should balance individual privacy with the potential benefits of informing at-risk family members.