Patients Should Always Receive Their Genomic Information According to Recent Report

I have always been enthusiastic about the need to provide patients and healthcare consumers with most, if not all, of their lab test results shortly after they become available. The only exceptions would be results relating to newly diagnosed serious diseases such as cancer where the information should be first communicated in person by a physician. In such cases, there should be a time delay baked into the release of the information to patients. Genomic testing has prompted a new debate about the availability of test results. The wide availability of patient portals/personal health records (PHRs) has also fueled these discussions  (see: Publishing Test Results in Patient Portals: Holding a Tiger by the Tail; Next Step in Patient Portals: Secure Messaging and Administrative Functions; UPMC Deploys Its Patient Portal on iPhones and iPads). Fourteen genetics experts and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) have come out in favor of broad patient access to their DNA results (see: Patients Should Get DNA Information, Report Recommends). Here's an excerpt from the article: Fourteen genetics experts, with the backing of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), are proposing a radical shift in how and what patients learn about what's in their DNA. They argue that anyone whose genome is sequenced for any medical reason should automatically learn whether 57 of their genes put them at risk of ce...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Pathologists Authors: Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Direct Access Testing (DAT) Electronic Medical Record Healthcare Information Technology Lab Information Products Lab Processes and Procedures Lab Regulation Laboratory Industry Trends Medic Source Type: blogs