Direct-to-Consumer Lab Tests Raise Ethical Questions Researchers Say

September 19, 2023

(MedPage Today) – Direct-to-consumer (DTC) laboratory tests — for the thyroid, hormonal biomarkers, or diabetes and hemoglobin A1c, for example — often had unclear terms of sale and vague privacy policies, a qualitative study showed. Of 21 U.S. companies that offered DTC lab tests, less than half declared compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and less than a quarter specified protections for biological samples, according to Louiza Kalokairinou, PhD, of the Baylor College of Medicine Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy in Houston, and co-authors. (Read More)