Jornal de Genética e Genomas

A Brief Study on Medical Genetics Teaching For Paediatric Residents

Abstract

Dragan Milenkovic*

Genetic testing is widely used in medicine and is frequently requested or ordered by patients, non-genetics subspecialists, and primary care physicians. Other research has demonstrated that ordering genetic testing is frequently uncomfortable for clinicians. A consistent training programme for teaching resident physicians about genetic testing does not yet exist, despite efforts to teach these ideas through continuing medical education. Methods: From September to October 2020, we used email to find every paediatrics resident at our facility (N=102). Residents were invited to participate in a Qualtrics web survey that asked about their perceived level of awareness about the fundamental ideas behind genetic testing and their reported level of comfort discussing these ideas with their family. The percentage of respondents who said they were unprepared ranged from 28% (basic genetics principles) to 80%. The majority of paediatrics residents concurred that they would benefit from a course that covered the fundamentals of genetic testing.