Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice About the Process of Genetic Counselling Among Clinicians

Jyoti P Kulkarni; Sangeetha Arumugam; Nandha Kumar Subbiah; Joy A Ghoshal

doi:10.7759/cureus.45883

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice About the Process of Genetic Counselling Among Clinicians

Cureus. 2023 Sep 24;15(9):e45883. doi: 10.7759/cureus.45883. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Jyoti P Kulkarni¹, Sangeetha Arumugam¹, Nandha Kumar Subbiah¹, Joy A Ghoshal¹

Affiliation

¹ Genetics Unit, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Mangalagiri, IND.

Abstract

Introduction Clinicians agree with the fact that the impact of genetics in the field of medicine is humongous. They have to cope with the rapid advances in the field of clinical genetics and offer the best treatment to the patients at the right time. Disease with an underlying genetic cause not only involves the patient but also the family and the community. In the process of genetic counseling, the patient and the family are educated about the genetic basis of the disorder. This helps the patient and the family to make a well-informed decision. It also helps to reduce the genetic burden of the disease in the community over a period of time. In this regard, knowledge, attitude, and practice about the process of genetic counseling among clinicians is imperative. Methods A structured pre-validated questionnaire was distributed amongst 60 clinicians from different departments. Their responses were assessed based on the Likert scale. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed in percentages. Results In the present study, nearly 90% of the clinicians felt that it was important to gather a multi-generational family history of the patient and advise them about inheritance patterns, recurrence risk, and genetic tests for a disorder with an underlying genetic cause. The need to educate the family members regarding the importance of genetic tests and referral to appropriate support groups if they test positive for a genetic disorder receive a positive response. Mostly the participants agreed that parents of children and couples at risk of having a child affected by a genetic disease should undergo genetic counseling. Conclusion Clinicians may not always be aware of the underlying genetic cause and genetic tests available or may face a paucity of time to counsel the patient and the family. Genetic counseling needs to be done at length in multiple sessions, and it is essential to reduce the burden of genetic disorders in society.

Keywords: attitude of health personnel; barriers to genetic testing; genetic screening; genetical counseling; pedigree.