NURSING CARE

Zain Marie Kamara

Subtopic: Genetically competent care for those with chronic illnesses 

Utilizing genetic information to guide medical decisions is known as genetically competent care. For those with chronic illnesses, this can include genetic testing to identify the specific genetic mutations that are causing their condition and use that information to develop targeted treatments. It can also involve genetic counseling to help patients and their families understand their risk of acquiring specific disorders, and to make educated decisions regarding testing and treatment. Additionally, genetically competent care can allow healthcare providers to identify potential drug interactions or adverse responses that may be particular to a patient's genetic makeup. 

In the Medical surgical units, this is an important topic due to the wide variety of patient conditions we are exposed to and have to treat on a daily basis. Understanding the patient’s genetics will help limit polypharmacy, decrease adverse medication interactions, and help manage the patient’s other comorbidities while treating the primary illness. The first step in this approach will be to assess the number of providers and if this type of field is growing in demand. To learn more about how to accomplish this, I found an article that tries to inform public policy development and present possible solutions for improving access to genetic services (Maiese, et al., 2019). The study was conducted using a 16-question electronic survey that was distributed to members of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Member Directory, regional collaborative partners, listservs from national partners, and social media. The researchers were able to obtain 924 responses from these genetic professionals and providers. In conclusion, researchers found that although the number of patients interested in this type of practice is increasing, the number of geneticists has not (Maiese et al., 2019).      

Nursing practice plays a significant role in delivering genetically competent care for individuals with chronic illnesses. Nurses are responsible for assessing patients' genetic risk factors, obtaining informed consent for genetic testing, interpreting test results, and teaching patients about their genetic information (Kilkku, & Halkoaho, 2022). Nurses must also advocate for patients by ensuring that their genetic information is kept confidential, offering emotional support, and addressing any worries or misconceptions that patients may have regarding genetics and genomics. 

Ethical problems connected to genetics and genomics in nursing practice include difficulties related to privacy, informed consent, and access to care. Patients' genetic information must be kept private and only disclosed to those who need to know. They must also seek informed consent from patients before performing genetic tests and provide patients with appropriate information to make educated decisions about testing and treatment (Samuel et al., 2017). Aware of the possibility of genetic discrimination, nurses must also stand out for patients' rights to equitable access to healthcare, regardless of their genetic makeup. 

 

 References:

Kilkku, N., & Halkoaho, A. (2022). Informed consent, genomic research, and mental health: A integrative review. Nursing ethics, 29(4), 973–987. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330211066573 

Maiese, D. R., Keehn, A., Lyon, M., Flannery, D., Watson, M., & Working Groups of the National Coordinating Center for Seven Regional Genetics Service Collaboratives (2019). Current conditions in medical genetics practice. Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, 21(8), 1874–1877.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-018-0417-6Links to an external site.  

Samuel, G.N., Dheensa, S., Farsides, B., et al. Healthcare professionals’ and patients’ perspectives on consent to clinical genetic testing: moving towards a more relational approach. BMC Med Ethics 18, 47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0207-8