Assessing parental understanding of variant reclassification in pediatric neurology and developmental pediatrics clinics.

Autor: Margolin A; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA., Helm BM; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA., Treat K; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA., Prucka SK; Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA., Halverson CME; Center for Bioethics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. chalver@iu.edu.; Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 410 W. 10th St., HITS 3131, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. chalver@iu.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of community genetics [J Community Genet] 2021 Oct; Vol. 12 (4), pp. 663-670. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 24.
DOI: 10.1007/s12687-021-00552-1
Abstrakt: Improvements in technology used for genetic testing have yielded an increased numbers of variants that are identified, each with a potential to return uninformative results. While some genetics providers may expect patients to be responsible for staying abreast of updates to their genetic testing results, it is unknown whether patients are even aware of the possibility of variant reclassification. Little research has assessed the comprehension and attitudes of parents of pediatric patients regarding reclassification of variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with parents (n = 15) whose children received a VUS from genetic testing in either the pediatric neurogenetics or developmental pediatrics clinics at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most participants expressed understanding of the uncertainty surrounding their child's VUS test result. However, nearly half of participants shared that they had no prior knowledge of its potential reclassification. When asked whose responsibility it is to keep informed about changes to their child's VUS status, some participants stated that it belonged solely to healthcare providers - a distinctive finding of our study - whereas others felt that it was a joint responsibility between providers and the parents. We additionally found that some patients desire a support group for individuals with VUS. These results provide insight into the importance of pretest genetic counseling and the need for increased social and informational support for parents of children who receive inconclusive genetic testing results. We conclude that relying solely on the patient or guardian to manage uncertain results may be insufficient.
(© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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