Genetics education in primary care residency training: satisfaction and current barriers

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Genetics
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Genetics education is crucial for primary care physicians.
• Integrating genetics into general medicine requires effective residency training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality, satisfaction, and barriers of genetics education within primary care residency programs.
• To provide evidence for the necessity of developing and advancing genetics training in medicine.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, descriptive, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted.
• The survey targeted four West Virginia University (WVU) primary care residency programs in 2020-2021.
• The anonymous 14-item survey assessed general data, satisfaction with genetics training, and barriers to genetics education.

Main Results:

• 52% response rate (70/123), with 59 participants completing the survey.
• 90% of residents viewed genetics education as critical; most learned via lectures (77%).
• Residents reported insufficient clinical experience (34% ward consultation, 5% clinic) and low satisfaction with specific topics like genetic workup initiation (15%).
• Barriers included the complexity of genetics (87%) and limited utility of testing (41%).
• Suggestions for improvement included more lectures (61%) and genetics rotations (22%).

Conclusions:

• Primary care residents are satisfied with didactic genetics knowledge but need enhanced clinical skills and research experience.
• Improving genetics education can lead to better rare disease recognition, precision medicine, and access to genetic testing.