The Virtual Consultation: Practitioners' Experiences of Genetic Counseling by Videoconferencing in Australia

Zilliacus, Elvira; Meiser, Bettina; Lobb, Elizabeth; Dudding, Tracey E; Barlow‐Stewart, Kristine; Tucker, Katherine

doi:10.1089/tmj.2009.0108

Cited by 51 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The studies included in our review related to the use of telegenetics in counseling for hereditary cancer, 26,[28][29][30][31][32][33] prenatal counseling, 34 pediatric services, 35,36 and services for a range of genetic disorders. 24,27,37 Of the 125 patients who were evaluated and/or counseled via telemedicine in the study by Lea et al, 37 64% received pediatric and/or neurological genetics consultations and the rest received consultations for cancer or reproductive genetics counseling.…”

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In several studies, patients had a genetics counselor or nurse present with them at the outreach clinic while they communicated via a synchronous video link with a geneticist or a genetics counselor. 24,27,[30][31][32][33]38 In a study by Stalker et al, 36 a genetics counselor obtained information on patients' family and medical history via teleconferencing, and a local pediatrician conducted a physical examination. The patients then returned to the clinic for a face-to-face consultation with the clinical geneticist.…”

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three studies were prospective studies with assessments both before and after telegenetics counseling. 24,28,33 Two studies involved conducting qualitative interviews, one with patients 32 and the other with genetics professionals, 30,31 to explore their experiences of telegenetics. The other studies involved the gathering of data through surveys and/or telephone interviews, and many did not involve any statistical analyses on outcomes measures because of small sample sizes.…”

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eight of the studies did not have a comparison group, and reported data solely on those who received genetics services via a telemedicine. 24,26,[29][30][31][32][35][36][37][38] All the studies measured patient satisfaction with the telegenetics consultation; in some cases, the health professionals' satisfaction was also assessed. The methods of measuring satisfaction varied between studies, with many researchers developing their own scales of satisfaction, whereas others based their scales on previous research.…”

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, in a study by Zilliacus et al, 30,31 genetics practitioners reported that there were disadvantages to telegenetics counseling for patients with hereditary breast/ovarian cancer, including inhibition of rapport between the geneticist and the patient, and difficulty for the practitioner in detecting nonverbal cues from patients. Patients may have been more satisfied with telegenetics consultations because of the savings in travel time and costs; a majority of the patients preferred to receive genetic counseling services in a local setting.…”

Section: Satisfaction With Telegenetics Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Telegenetics: a systematic review of telemedicine in genetics services

Hilgart

Hayward

Coles

et al. 2012

Genetics in Medicine

161

185

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Results Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Satisfaction With Telegenetics Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Telegenetics: a systematic review of telemedicine in genetics services

Hilgart

Hayward

Coles

et al. 2012

Genetics in Medicine

161

185

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Experiences from the epicenter: Professional impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on genetic counselors in New York

Bergstrom

Brander

Breen

et al. 2020

American J of Med Genetics Pt C

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted the delivery of healthcare services, including genetic counseling. This study assessed the professional impact of the pandemic on genetic counselors (GCs) and evaluated how genetics service delivery models changed in New York State (NYS). One hundred sixty‐five NYS GCs participated in an anonymous survey. Clinic structure, telegenetics (video and/or telephone consultations) use and acceptability, and professional practices before and during the pandemic were compared. The most frequently reported consultation type shifted from in‐person only (49%) before the pandemic to telegenetics only (39%) during. Most were satisfied with video (93.1%) and telephone (81.4%) telegenetics. Additionally, 93.5% of participants expressed a desire to continue using telegenetics after the pandemic resolves. Common obstacles included difficulties coordinating sample collection (60.2%) and obtaining written consent for testing (57.6%). Billing methods for consultations during the pandemic did not change significantly. Participants were asked about NYS's lack of licensure, which restricts billing options. Most felt that genetic counseling licensure would benefit the profession (92.6%), the public (88.5%), and their institution/company (74.5%). This study provides insight into the effects of the rapid adoption of telegenetics and can guide future discussions about best practices for its use even after the health crisis resolves.

show abstract

Clinical models of telehealth in genetics: A regional telegenetics landscape

Terry

Wylie

Raspa

et al. 2019

Journal of Genetic Counseling

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of live video consultations in genetics has been shown to improve patient access with high satisfaction; however, little is known about the current landscape of clinical telehealth models in the field of genetics (i.e., telegenetics). This survey aimed to address that gap across seven states and the District of Columbia. Among 51 self‐defined telegenetics programs responding to an online survey, 32 currently utilized live videoconferencing as at least one of their technologies (i.e., were “video‐capable”). Analysis of this subgroup revealed that medical institutions were the most common program setting, and prenatal and cancer services were the most common sub‐specialty. Forty‐seven percent of these programs reported billing insurance for patient care. When exploring measures of patient access among these programs, 56% had a wait time of under 2 weeks, 25% saw more than 50 patients per month, 50% estimated their geographic reach at over 200 miles, and 59% were able to provide remote telegenetics consultations to patients’ homes. Professional licensure was reported as the biggest barrier, and patient access and convenience were reported as the largest benefit and success. Among the 19 remaining programs, eight currently active programs exclusively used telephone technology; these were less likely to have a geneticist (p = 0.01), had a shorter wait time (p = 0.04), and had been established for a longer time (p = 0.02) when compared to video‐capable programs. Further, two currently active programs indicated the use of store‐and‐forward telehealth. Finally, nine programs were currently planning their programs, with a focus on video‐capable technologies and more varied patient specialties. We observed a diverse landscape of telehealth models being utilized to provide genetic services, and the data demonstrated that these programs are focused on enhancing patient access. Our query about telegenetics drew responses from programs that were not using live videoconferencing technology models, which prompts further exploration, and challenges us to develop consensus around the meaning of “telegenetics.” Similarly, our data suggest a need for continued research to assess the equivalency, accessibility, and role of telephone consultations across genetic services. While a multitude of policy factors influence which service delivery models are utilized, further research on these varied approaches, and their associated patient outcomes, is also needed to inform program development.

show abstract

The Virtual Consultation: Practitioners' Experiences of Genetic Counseling by Videoconferencing in Australia

Abstract: Practitioners were satisfied with telegenetics and perceived the advantages as outweighing the disadvantages.

Cited by 51 publications

References 24 publications

Telegenetics: a systematic review of telemedicine in genetics services

Telegenetics: a systematic review of telemedicine in genetics services

Experiences from the epicenter: Professional impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on genetic counselors in New York

Clinical models of telehealth in genetics: A regional telegenetics landscape

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About