A Collaborative Psychiatric-Genetics Inpatient Care Delivery Model Improves Access to Clinical Genetic Evaluation,...

Area of Science:

• Medical Genetics
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) like autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability are common reasons for genetic evaluation.
• Access to clinical genetics services for NDD patients faces significant barriers.
• Clinical genetic testing is crucial for diagnosing and managing NDDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve care delivery for patients with NDDs.
• To address barriers in accessing clinical genetics evaluations.
• To establish a collaborative psychiatric-genetics service and outpatient clinic.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a pilot collaborative psychiatric-genetics consultation service.
• Establishment of a psychiatric-genetics outpatient clinic.
• Analysis of patient access metrics and diagnostic outcomes over two years.

Main Results:

• Improved access to genetics evaluations for patients with NDDs.
• Significant reduction in wait times for appointments.
• Fewer patients were lost to follow-up.
• New genetic diagnoses were identified for the majority of patients, altering their medical care.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative psychiatric-genetics services enhance access to essential genetic evaluations for NDD patients.
• Shorter wait times and reduced loss to follow-up demonstrate improved care delivery.
• Genetic diagnoses obtained through this service have a substantial impact on patient management and medical care.