Evaluation of Team-Based Genetic Counseling Services in Korea

Despite growing interest in genetic counseling services in South Korea, limited studies have evaluated their effectiveness. Ongoing discussions in South Korea are examining the integration of team-based genetic counseling services into the Korean healthcare system. This study aimed to provide evidence for the integration of genetic counseling services into the healthcare system by evaluating genetic counseling outcomes and satisfaction after services were jointly provided by a medical geneticist and certified genetic counselors.

From February to June 2023, we conducted a survey using the Korean version of the Genetic Counseling Outcome Scale (K-GCOS) and the Genetic Counseling Satisfaction Scale (GCSS) among 102 patients with genetic disorders and their families who received genetic counseling services provided by the genetics team.

The average time spent on genetic counseling was 43.9 minutes per patient, with preparation time of 59.9 minutes. The satisfaction scores for the genetic counseling services were overall high, specifically for the following items: "My genetic counselor helped me to identify what I needed to know to make decisions about what would happen to me (86.3%)," "The genetic counseling session was valuable to me (85.3%)," and "The genetic counseling session was about the right length of time I needed (83.3%)." Patients who received genetic counseling within 6 months of diagnosis had significantly higher K-GCOS scores than those who received counseling after 6 months (102.88 vs. 95.00, t = 2.607, P = 0.011), indicating that earlier counseling is more effective following a diagnosis. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the GCSS (t = 0.983, P = 0.328). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was observed between GCSS and K-GCOS (r = 0.204, P = 0.040), indicating that genetic counseling can not only provide information but also offer psychological support to patients.

This study proposes a healthcare system in which a genetics team works collaboratively to provide genetic counseling. It also offers evidence for effectively integrating genetic counselors into the Korean healthcare system by evaluating the outcomes and satisfaction associated with team-based genetic counseling services.