Knowledge and Attitudes of Nurses Toward Genetics and Genomics: A Scoping Review

Over the past two decades, genetics and genomics have emerged as a pivotal force in medicine and, consequently, healthcare systems. As the largest group of healthcare providers, nurses are essential in integrating genetics/genomics into clinical practice. Nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward genetics and genomics significantly influence their ability to integrate genetic/genomic principles into clinical practice. The aim of this review was to identify existing literature and map key findings on attitudes and knowledge of nurses regarding genetics and genomics. A scoping review of the literature published between 2013 and 2023 was conducted, encompassing four databases. A total of 1761 records were screened, and 49 studies met the inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis were applied to summarize the studies' characteristics and findings. The majority of the eligible studies focus on nurses' knowledge, both general and domain-specific, in genetics and genomics, while fewer studies focus specifically on attitudes. Less than a quarter of the studies (22.45%) were interventional. Findings revealed that basic knowledge among nurses was consistently low, often accompanied by misconceptions and a limited understanding of genetics. Studies that incorporated educational interventions demonstrated an increase in knowledge and a positive shift in attitudes. Findings indicate that structured education in interventional studies improves nurses' knowledge and attitudes. These strategies have the potential to advance genomic competency among nurses and ultimately improve patient outcomes. This scoping review demonstrated that the subject remains under-researched, pointing to a significant gap for future research.