Scoping the Scene: What Do Nurses, Midwives, and Allied Health Professionals Need and Want to Know About Genomics?

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid changes in genomic technology are transforming healthcare delivery. Although it has been well established that many health professionals lack the adequate knowledge, skills, and confidence to adapt to these changes, the specific educational needs of Australian allied health professionals, nurses, and midwives are not well understood. This diverse group of health professionals is primarily involved in the management of symptoms and psychosocial care of patients with genetic conditions, rather than risk assessment and diagnosis. The relevance of genetics and genomics to their clinical practice may therefore differ from medical practitioners and specialists. Materials and Methods: This paper reports on a study undertaken to identify the perceived genetic knowledge and education needs for this group of health professionals. Allied health professionals, nurses, and midwives were recruited from throughout New South Wales (NSW) and invited to participate in semi-structured telephone or face to face interviews. Results: A total of 24 geographically and professionally diverse individuals (14 allied health, 6 nurses, and 4 midwives) were interviewed. Interview recordings were transcribed and using thematic qualitative analysis recurring themes were identified. The results show that this is a diverse group that is keen to know more about genomics and genetic services but unsure of reliable sources. Discussion: The need for a generic update from a trustworthy source was identified and suggested topics to be covered included genetic fundamentals, recognizing common genetic conditions, and psychosocial/ethical aspects of genetics/testing including informed consent. In addition, the challenge of incorporating education into highly clinical roles was identified as a key barrier and having a readily accessible, accredited learning resource would help overcome this. Findings from this study are informing the development of a targeted, interactive e-learning resource for allied health professionals, nurses, and midwives.

Neonatal Bartter syndrome diagnosed by rapid genomics following low risk pre‐conception carrier screening

“…The understanding and perception of the utility of genomic sequencing approaches among paediatricians, midwives and obstetricians is variable 8–10 . Given the rapidly evolving nature of the field, it is imperative that both families and clinicians have a good understanding of the purpose, strengths and limitations of different types of genomic tests so that these are appropriately integrated into clinical care.…”

“…The understanding and perception of the utility of genomic sequencing approaches among paediatricians, midwives and obstetricians is variable. [8][9][10] Given the rapidly evolving nature of the field, it is imperative that both families and clinicians have a good understanding of the purpose, strengths and limitations of different types of genomic tests so that these are appropriately integrated into clinical care. Additionally, genomic testing should include ready access to clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors, not only in returning prenatal results, but also to support clinicians and families to optimise the investigation of suspected genetic disease in the antenatal and post-natal periods, including the reanalysis of existing genomic data as the clinical situation evolves.…”

Leading Canadian Nurses into the Genomic Era of Healthcare

“…Addressing structural barriers, such as lack of time and difficulty finding relevant education resources, can support nurses to learn foundational knowledge in genomics (Saleh et al 2019). This is of particular importance, given nurses' high workloads amid the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Tip 2 Diyabetli Hastalarda Pedigri Genetik Risk Analizi ile Yaşam Kalitesi İlişkisinin İncelenmesi

“…2016; Raghavan ve vd. 2016) Sağlık profesyonelleri, risk değerlendirmesi ve tanı koymanın yanı sıra genetik durumu riskli olan hastaların semptomlarının ve psikososyal bakımının yönetiminde yer almaktadır (Saleh, 2019) İnsan genom araştırmasındaki son gelişmeler, bireysel genlerin keşfedilmesini hızlandırmıştır. Bu gelişme aynı zamanda genlerin nasıl birlikte çalıştığını ve genetik bozuklukların hastalığın gelişimine nasıl yol açtığının anlaşılmasını da arttırmıştır (Wook, 2010).…”