Genetic counseling processes and strategies for racially and ethnically diverse populations: A systematic review

Abstract

Genetic counseling outcomes are influenced by the processes and strategies used by counselors, yet little is known about how these strategies directly impact patients and populations. In particular, tailoring genetic counseling consultations to best meet the needs of cultural, racial, and ethnically diverse populations has been explored. This review aims to identify genetic counseling strategies tailored for a diversity of racial and ethnic populations with the goal to find ways to improve genetic counseling outcomes. Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, PsychInfo, and CINAHL databases were searched for original research articles published in English that employed genetic counseling processes and strategies to improve genetic counseling outcomes, specifically for participants from ethnically or racially diverse populations. A review of 5300 titles and abstracts resulted in the identification of 36 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: (1) community involvement in culturally tailoring genetic counseling, (2) creation and use of culturally tailored resources, and (3) modifications to the genetic counseling process. The effectiveness of genetic counseling strategies could not be evaluated due to lack of consistent outcome measures in the articles. The involvement of diverse ethnic and racial populations in developing inclusive genetic counseling tools and practices will help the profession provide better patient care in the future. More research connecting genetic counseling processes and outcomes will help to assess how well these modified approaches meet the needs of diverse populations.

Linking genetic counseling communication skills to patient outcomes and experiences using a community-engagement and provider-engagement approach: research protocol for the GC-PRO mixed methods sequential explanatory study

“…To ensure findings are culturally informed, and future applications are feasibly implementable into practice, community members and genetic counselors must be engaged in shaping the strategies used in GC research. While participatory research is not common in GC studies, [28][29][30][31][32] engaging key stakeholders throughout the research process using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches can improve the reliability and equity of research, as well as increase the applicability and dissemination of research findings that could be implemented to reduce health disparities in GC. 33 34 The objective of the Genetic Counseling Processes Result in Outcomes (GC-PRO) study is to characterize GC communication skills using a novel and pragmatic measure and link variations in communication skills and session characteristics to patient-reported outcomes in a diverse sample.…”