Barriers to and Motivations for Physician Referral of Patients to Cancer Genetics Clinics

Although it is well known that under-referral of colon cancer patients to cancer genetics clinics is a chronic problem, no study has yet examined why physicians may be ordering testing independently rather than referring patients to cancer genetics clinics. The current study explored variables which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of genetic counseling 2012-04, Vol.21 (2), p.305-325
Main Authors: Prochniak, Carrie F., Martin, Lisa J., Miller, Erin M., Knapke, Sara C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedicine
Cancer
Clinical Psychology
Clinics
Colon cancer
Doctors
Ethics
Fear
Gastroenterology
Genetic Counseling
Genetic counselling
genetic screening
Genetic testing
Genetics
Gynecology
Hereditary colorectal cancer
Human Genetics
Humans
Internet
Inventories
Medical personnel
Motivation
Neoplasms - genetics
Original Research
Patients
Physicians
Practice Patterns, Physicians
Public Health
Referral
Referral and Consultation
Referrals
Risk assessment
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Although it is well known that under-referral of colon cancer patients to cancer genetics clinics is a chronic problem, no study has yet examined why physicians may be ordering testing independently rather than referring patients to cancer genetics clinics. The current study explored variables which may impact a physician’s preference for ordering testing independently or referring patients to outside cancer genetics experts. An online questionnaire, distributed to the membership of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons, yielded responses from 298 physicians. Motivations to refer to cancer genetics clinics rather than order testing independently included fear of genetic discrimination and a belief that patients benefit from genetic counseling about the risks, benefits and consequences of testing. These results suggest that in order to increase referrals, genetic counselors must educate physicians about the unique benefits patients receive from participating in genetic counseling.
ISSN:1059-7700
1573-3599
DOI:10.1007/s10897-011-9401-x