Precision Medicine in Rural Settings: Clinician Perspectives on Clinician-Ordered Genetic Testing

Previous research has identified a limited number of specialty care providers (such as clinicians with specialty training in genetics) in rural areas. We consider here the perceptions of rural clinicians regarding genetic testing, as they may contribute to its incorporation into rural healthcare.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with rural clinicians in the Mountain West states of Utah, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming who had discussed reproductive genetic carrier screening or disease risk genetic testing with a patient. Interviews were thematically analyzed using a hybrid deductive-inductive approach informed by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) and the Implementation Outcomes Framework (IOF), with a focus on contextual determinants and acceptability and appropriateness as implementation outcomes.

We analyzed data from 19 rural clinicians who had discussed disease-risk genetic testing and/or reproductive genetic carrier screening with a patient. Participants generally perceived these discussions as acceptable and appropriate. The clinical actionability of information gleaned from genetic testing particularly influenced its acceptability. Clinicians expressed concern about selecting and interpreting genetic tests. Most clinicians did not describe working in a setting where genetic testing was a routinized part of the patient care workflow.

Among Mountain West rural clinicians who discussed genetic testing with a patient, genetic testing was perceived as acceptable and appropriate, particularly when the results would affect patient management. However, rural clinicians were concerned about their knowledge base in selecting and interpreting genetic tests and relied on referrals to genetics specialists for these tasks. These findings suggest that implementing genetic testing in the rural Mountain West may require a coordinated effort to increase clinicians' knowledge of genetic tests and their interpretation and ensure they have adequate access to support from genetics-trained colleagues.