In this post, JerseyDiamond admitted to having performed unordered lab tests “that we were curious about” for the reason that “*t was fun to be able to see the results”. According to her, the tests ran include HIV screens and DNA testing of some sort. I can only hope that she ran the tests on her own serum or on that of friends (with the friend’s consent), and not on random samples passing through the lab.
What if they were run on random samples, though? That, to me, seems to violate patient privacy – the patient gave that sample for a specific purpose, not for the amusement of lab personnel. What if the results of one of these random amusement tests leaked out. Lab workers usually know, or at least can know if they want, the name of the person being tested when they run the test, don’t they?
If one of these random tests reveals something private about that person, isn’t that person harmed by this disclosure? This especially bothers me when the lab is run on someone the lab worker knows. And what if the lab worker’s amusement activity revealed that the patient was suffering from some heretofore unknown illness? Should the lab be obligated to report the results to the physician even though the physician didn’t order them? Who pays for these tests?
What safeguards exist in medical labs to prevent this from happening? I would hope that this is not a common practice, and should think that it would be illegal, but I don’t really know.
I just think it’s hilarious. I made a joke about Jersey having tested Joe’s chromosomes before they got engaged—and truth turned out to be zanier than fiction!
Guinastasia, no, not at all. I didn’t accuse JerseyDiamond of doing anything improper; it was the thought that someone with fewer scruples than Jersey might in fact be doing so that prompted this thread.
My blood runs through a medical lab every six months, and I’d like to be able to rest in peace knowing that my samples aren’t being used for someone else’s amusement.
I don’t care whose blood it is; performing unordered tests is wrong, not to mention possibly illegal. Furthermore, it’s a waste of lab resources.
There are many reasons why it’s wrong. First of all, Joe is an adult over the age of 18, and covered under the privacy laws. His medical condition is his own business, and whether he chooses to tell his wife about any health problems is his own business. (Hence why running unordered tests is illegal.)
Moreover, what if Jersey ran a test and the results were abnormal? Who is she going to tell?
JD: “Oh, Joe, I did this test on you, and the results are X. You need to go to the doctor ASAP!”
Joe (to doctor): “I’ve had these test results come back abnormal, and I need to have this treated.”
Doctor: “When did you have these tests run? I didn’t order these tests.”
Joe: “Well, um, I went to another doctor. (Yeah, that’s the ticket!)”
Doctor: “Well, I need to see the results before we can proceed with treatment.”
Joe (to JD): “Umm, hon, I need the tests you ran last week.”
JD: Deer in the headlights look when she realizes that she’s got to produce tests that weren’t ordered.
It’s certainly a waste of medical resources and money, and is generally wrong for that reason.
If all they were doing was testing some random sample, I’d argue that isn’t inherently unethical. The problem is that the blood sample is identifiable. As such, an unscrupulous labworker could use such information against the person, which is clearly wrong. For this reason, it’s wrong to go around randomly testing for things.
She used a stick? :eek: No wonder your arm hurt for 3 days! Folks in Kentucky might be backward about some things, but even we know to pull blood with a needle.
Seriously, though, the odds of somebody at the lab just dicking around and running unauthorized tests are pretty low for several reasons, both ethical and practical.
Ethics aside (I think we all agree that doing something like that is questionable, to say the least), it’s just not practical. Medical labs are busy places, and most of the time the techs have too much work to do to be wasting time fooling around. Can you imagine the shitstorm when your supervisor asks why you’re amusing yourself instead of doing your assigned work?
Besides, it will come to light that the number of tests the lab is running and the number they’re being paid for aren’t the same numbers. There’ll be hell to pay when they track down the offending employee. Running unauthorized tests with company resources is considered theft, and can be grounds for dismissal.
