Clinician Perspectives on Using Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Practice

Area of Science:

• Genomic Medicine
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Healthcare Implementation Science

Background:

• Pharmacogenomics implementation programs are expanding.
• Understanding clinician perspectives is crucial for successful integration of pharmacogenomics into routine care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the knowledge and attitudes of clinicians involved in a large-scale pharmacogenomics implementation initiative.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to the adoption of pharmacogenomics in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 physicians and nurse practitioners.
• Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the interviews.

Main Results:

• Clinicians expressed challenges in keeping pace with rapidly evolving evidence.
• Strong support was noted for clinical decision support tools to aid in genotype-tailored therapies.
• Concerns were raised regarding communication of results, long-term responsibility for actionable findings, and provider hand-offs.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians perceive knowledge gaps and workflow integration as significant hurdles to pharmacogenomics adoption.
• Longitudinal responsibility for managing genomic variants presents a key challenge for successful implementation.