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      Refusal of viral testing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

      research-article
      A , B
      Clinical Medicine
      Royal College of Physicians
      Testing, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ethics

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          ABSTRACT

          Widespread testing for the respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) will represent an important part of any strategy designed to safely reopen societies from lockdown. Healthcare settings have the potential to become reservoirs of infectivity, and therefore many hospital trusts are beginning to carry out routine screening of staff and patients. This could promote the effective cohorting of patients and reduce the rate of nosocomial infection. However, for various reasons, some individuals may refuse this testing. Here we highlight this as an emergent ethicolegal issue which we expect to become increasingly relevant as testing becomes ubiquitous. We explore this position from an ethical and legal perspective, determining whether refusal of testing is acceptable under UK law. Individual patients refusing testing could undermine a hospital's testing strategy; therefore clinicians and policy makers must prospectively determine the best course of action if this were to occur.

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          Author and article information

          Contributors
          Role: NIHR academic clinical fellow in genomic medicine and clinical genetics SpR
          Role: professor of translational genomic medicine and consultant clinical geneticist
          Journal
          Clin Med (Lond)
          Clin Med (Lond)
          Clinical Medicine
          Royal College of Physicians
          1470-2118
          1473-4893
          September 2020
          : 20
          : 5
          : e163-e164
          Affiliations
          AManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK and University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
          BManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK and University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
          Author notes
          Address for correspondence: Dr John H McDermott, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M13 9WL, UK. Email: john.mcdermott2@ 123456mft.nhs.uk
          Article
          PMC7539710 PMC7539710 7539710 clinmedicine
          10.7861/clinmed.2020-0388
          7539710
          32620593
          6e3093fd-0430-4e4d-a350-6df81be58096
          © Royal College of Physicians 2020. All rights reserved.
          History
          Page count
          Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 8, Pages: 2
          Categories
          COVID-19 rapid report

          COVID-19,Testing,SARS-CoV-2,ethics
          COVID-19, Testing, SARS-CoV-2, ethics

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