The Human Genome Project and the clinician.

The Florida Supreme Court's decision in Pate v Threlkel is an early warning sing of the massive impact human genome research will have on medical practice. Genetic screening is a scientific tool whose widespread use in clinical medicine will expand due to the combined influences of the federally funded Human Genome Project, biotechnology market forces, and corporate and societal pressures to both use and further develop the technique. Once testing becomes cost-effective, clinicians, by virtue of their position as "knowledgeable professionals" and as the primary source of health information for patients with genetic disorders, will be required to act as gatekeepers to the genetic heritage of their patients. This will seriously impact the legal definitions of reasonable care, a physician's duty to warn, the concept of informed consent, and the confidentiality of medical records.