RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and barriers pertaining to genetic literacy among surgeons: a scoping review
JF Canadian Journal of Surgery
JO CAN J SURG
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E118
OP E127
DO 10.1503/cjs.001523
VO 67
IS 2
A1 Mir, Zuhaib M.
A1 Fei, Linda Y.N.
A1 McKeown, Sandra
A1 Dinchong, Rachelle
A1 Cofie, Nicholas
A1 Dalgarno, Nancy
A1 Rusnak, Alison
A1 Cheifetz, Rona E.
A1 Merchant, Shaila J.
YR 2024
UL http://canjsurg.ca/content/67/2/E118.abstract
AB Background: The rapid evolution of genetic technologies and utilization of genetic information for clinical decision-making has necessitated increased surgeon participation in genetic counselling, testing, and appropriate referral of patients for genetic services, without formal training in genetics. We performed a scoping review to describe surgeons’ knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and barriers pertaining to genetic literacy in the management of patients who had confirmed cancer or who were potentially genetically at risk.Methods: We conducted a scoping review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. We performed a comprehensive literature search, and 2 reviewers independently screened studies for inclusion. These studies included surgeons involved in the care of patients with confirmed gastrointestinal, breast, and endocrine and neuroendocrine cancers, or patients who were potentially genetically at risk for these cancers.Results: We analyzed 17 studies, all of which used survey or interview-based formats. Many surgeons engaged in genetic counselling, testing, and referral, but reported low confidence and comfort in doing so. Knowledge assessments showed lower confidence in identifying genetic inheritance patterns and hereditary cancer syndromes, but awareness was higher among surgeons with greater clinical volume or subspecialty training in oncology. Surgeons felt responsible for facilitating these services and explicitly requested educational support in genetics. Barriers to genetic literacy were identified and catalogued at patient, surgeon, and system levels.Conclusion: Surgeons frequently engage in genetics-related tasks despite a lack of formal genetics training, and often report low knowledge, comfort, and confidence in providing such services. We have identified several barriers to genetic literacy that can be used to develop interventions to enhance genetic literacy among surgeons.