Awareness, and interest in personalized medicine: a cross-sectional survey study of health professionals

Personalized medicine (PM) is advancing disease prevention and treatment, but regulatory and clinical concerns persist, requiring evaluation of healthcare professionals' (HPs) knowledge and attitudes.

His study assessed PM awareness among HPs at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Participants from diverse clinical departments completed a survey covering PM definitions, benefits, ethical concerns, genetic testing knowledge, attitudes, and barriers. A literature review guided question development.

Among 141 HPs (55.3% male, 44.7% female), only 27.7% reported sufficient PM knowledge, though 82.3% acknowledged genetic health influences. Those with adequate knowledge more often endorsed PM tools (92.3% vs. 68.6%, p = 0.01) but expressed greater concern about healthcare disparities (82.1% vs. 67.6%, p = 0.03). Key barriers included cost (17%) and ethical risks, with 72% fearing PM would widen economic gaps and 23.4% anticipating insurance discrimination. Females and married HPs were more concerned about discrimination (p = 0.039 and p = 0.038, respectively). Despite concerns, 80% of physicians supported genome-guided prescribing.

While HPs recognize PM's potential, limited awareness and ethical concerns hinder adoption. Addressing knowledge gaps and equity issues through education is crucial for PM integration in Iran.