Physician Experience with Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing in Kaiser Permanente

Area of Science:

• Genomic Medicine
• Clinical Genetics
• Physician Education

Background:

• Healthcare systems aim to integrate genetic and genomic information into clinical practice.
• Rapid expansion of clinical information, including genetics/genomics data, presents challenges.
• Physicians need effective strategies to manage and utilize diverse patient-derived genetic data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the frequency of direct-to-consumer genetic test results presented to physicians.
• To identify the genetics educational needs of primary care and specialist physicians.
• To understand physician referral patterns following the receipt of direct-to-consumer genetic test results.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 1502 physicians at Permanente Medical Group (November 2017–April 2018).
• Utilized adjusted logistic regression to analyze physician responses and referral patterns.
• Assessed physician willingness to engage in genetics/genomics education.

Main Results:

• 35% of physicians received direct-to-consumer (DTC) health risk genetic results; 12% received DTC pharmacogenomic (PGx) results in the past year.
• Among those receiving results, 40% (DTC-health risk) and 39% (DTC-PGx) made referrals, primarily to clinical genetics (78% and 42%, respectively).
• 85% of physicians indicated a willingness to spend at least 2 hours per year on genetics/genomics education.

Conclusions:

• Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is increasingly common in clinical practice, impacting physician workflows.
• There is a significant need for enhanced genetics and genomics education for physicians.
• Physicians are receptive to further education to better manage genetic information and guide patient care.