Implications for nursing of the Human Genome Project

Information obtained from the Human Genome Project, initiated in 1990 and targeted for completion in 2005, will influence both health care and nursing practice. It will substantially revise our understanding of disease susceptibility and causation. Additional genetic tests will be developed and gene therapies explored. The project has implications for both nursing research and nursing practice. This article reviews the establishment of the Human Genome Project, reports on current progress of the project, and identifies some implications of the project for health care generally and nursing specifically.