Health Care Providers Use of Genetic Services

Human Genome Research

Investigators

Abstract

Studies into how various health care specialtists utilize genetics services help us to learn better ways to collaborate and to generate appropriate referrals. Increasingly, certain aspects of current genetic services, such as education and counseling surrounding susceptibility genetic testing, will be provided by primary care providers and subspecialitists. In order to maximize services to benefit patients, triage strategies should be based on empiric evidence. Currently, one study underway is assessing psychiatrists use of genetic counseling services and their anticipation of how their practices may be altered by future availability of susceptibility testing. While psychiatrists? knowledge of genetics has been assessed to be minimal in the past, researchers have not focused on how this naivete affects the needs of psychiatric patients and their relatives. Individuals and families in the psychiatric setting may benefit from genetic counseling, but this service may not be routinely offered and there are few guidelines in existence to help psychiatrists determine who should be referred. Therefore, the goals of this study are to determine how genetic information and counseling are incorporated into psychiatric sessions with patients, how psychiatrists foresee their practice incorporating new genetic information in the future, and what factors are the best predictors of psychiatrists? behavior related to genetics. The Theory of Planned Behavior will be used as a theoretical framework to suggest constructs, that, when measured, reliably predict these behaviors. These objectives are being investigated through the use of a questionnaire sent to a sample of general adult and child psychiatrists from ten different states who are members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (N=1216). The questionnaire includes Likert scales and semantic differential scales developed from the Theory of Planned Behavior, clinical vignettes, and a few open ended questions to assess awareness of genetic issues, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived personal control, behavioral intentions, current practices, perceptions of psychiatric genetics, and provider characteristics. The data collected from this quantitative study will be analyzed to describe the current state of psychiatric practice regarding genetics and to determine which of these factors affect psychiatrists? referral practices. In addition, this data will elucidate psychiatrists? views of how genetic innovations will affect their practice behaviors in the future. Results from this study may help better understand the behavior of psychiatrists and suggest opportunities for interventions to help increase collaboration between psychiatrists and genetics specialists.