Telehealth options, such as telephone counseling or videoconferencing, for service delivery in genetic counseling are becoming more widely accepted. However, until now, there has not been a systematic review of the literature focused specifically on genetic counseling outcomes for telehealth. We performed a systematic evidence review to compare telehealth genetic counseling (THGC), including videoconferencing and telephone counseling, across specialties to in-person genetic counseling (IPGC) for a range of outcomes specific to patient and provider experiences and access to care. Several biomedical databases were queried up to January 11, 2021, to identify original research evaluating THGC. Through this search, 42 articles met the inclusion criteria including 13 randomized controlled trials and 29 non-randomized observational studies encompassing 13,901 patients. Most included studies focused only on cancer genetic counseling; however, adult, pediatric, and prenatal specialties were also represented. The majority of studies evaluated patient and/or access to care outcomes. Though most studies reported high patient satisfaction with THGC, as well as comparable rates of trust and rapport, confidence in privacy, health behavior changes, and psychosocial outcomes, few represented diverse populations. Data of provider experiences were limited and varied with more disadvantages noted compared with patient experiences, particularly in studies involving telephone genetic counseling. Studies consistently reported a decrease in the patients' costs and time required for travel when patients are seen via THGC compared to IPGC with a similar reduction in costs to the health system. Overall, results from our evidence synthesis suggest THGC is non-inferior or comparable to IPGC across many domains, even considering that many of the studies included in this review were conducted with telehealth systems, notably videoconferencing, that were less robust and reliable than what is available today. There are notable limitations within this body of literature, leading to potential uncertainty in the generalizability of our analysis. We outline several recommendations for future studies.
Genomic medicine is transforming patient care. However, the speed of development has left a knowledge gap between discovery and effective implementation into clinical practice. Since 2010, the Training Residents in Genomics (TRIG) Working Group has found success in building a rigorous genomics curriculum with implementation tools aimed at pathology residents in postgraduate training years 1–4. Based on the TRIG model, the interprofessional Undergraduate Training in Genomics (UTRIG) Working Group was formed. Under the aegis of the Undergraduate Medical Educators Section of the Association of Pathology Chairs and representation from nine additional professional societies, UTRIG’s collaborative goal is building medical student genomic literacy through development of a ready-to-use genomics curriculum. Key elements to the UTRIG curriculum are expert consensus-driven objectives, active learning methods, rigorous assessment and integration.
quit rate of 5% per cessation attempt. Cost-effectiveness was estimated with a lifetime horizon, health system perspective and 1.5% discount rate. Costs are in 2016 CAD. Result: Cessation within a screening program with 60% recruitment and 70% rescreening (adherence) would cost approximately $76 million (undiscounted) per year for 2017-2036 or 8% of the total cost of screening, treatment and cessation. Compared to screening with no cessation, approximately 110 fewer incident cases and 50 fewer lung cancer deaths would occur on average per year for 2017-2036 and cost $14,000/QALY (lifetime horizon). 90% recruitment and 80% rescreening would result in 260 fewer deaths and cost of $24,000/QALY. At a doubled permanent quit rate of 10%, screening with cessation would cost $6,000/QALY. A 50% increase in the cost of the cessation intervention would decrease costeffectiveness to $22,000/QALY. Conclusion: Based on the OncoSim-LC model, a cessation program within an organized LDCT screening program would cost well under $50,000/QALY even over multiple quit attempts. Integrating robust smoking cession initiatives within a LDCT screening program could save lives and be relatively cost-effective.
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