Preparing for a Consumer-Driven Genomic Age | Health Policy and Reform

Perspective
Preparing for a Consumer-Driven Genomic Age
NEJM | August 18, 2010 | Topics: Health Care Delivery

James P. Evans, M.D., Ph.D., David C. Dale, M.D. and Cathy Fomous, Ph.D.

Advances in genomic technologies permit the simultaneous analysis of millions of variants across the genome and may soon allow for meaningful estimation of one’s risks of developing cancer, diabetes, and other common diseases. These advances are converging with the movement toward consumer-driven health care and patient empowerment. Whereas in the past, medical testing was firmly under the control of medical practitioners, genomic information is now increasingly available outside traditional medical settings. Patients are no longer subordinate, passive recipients of physician-initiated genetic testing; rather, patients can instigate their own testing and often know more than their clinicians about particular genetic topics. Indeed, health care providers are increasingly bypassed altogether, as patients embrace direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests and turn to social networks for help in interpreting their results. In the future, a primary role of health care professionals may be to interpret patients’ DTC genetic test results and advise them about appropriate follow-up.

Read More
Preparing for a Consumer-Driven Genomic Age | Health Policy and Reform