Disclosing Decedents' Research Results to Relatives Violates the HIPAA Privacy Rule
American Journal of Bioethics, 12(10) 16:17 (2012)
2 Pages Posted: 18 Oct 2012
Date Written: October 1, 2012
Abstract
The target article (Chan et al. 2012) contains an interesting proposal that researchers disclose a select range of genetic test results to the relatives of deceased research participants. The proposal raises numerous ethical issues, but they are not generally dispositive. In the absence of a prior authorization by the research participant or the participant's legally authorized representative, disclosing the results of research to the family members of a deceased participant is unlawful under the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
Keywords: HIPAA, Privacy Rule,/ Research Ethics, Deceased research subjects, Disclosure, Informational Health Privacy, Health privacy
JEL Classification: K31, K32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation