Soon, doctors will be able to learn about genetic testing – and get professional credits for their efforts.
In a major advancement for the burgeoning genetic testing industry, the American College of Preventive Medicine has announced it is creating a medical education program on the use of genomic tools in medicine.
Called “Genetic Risk, Screening and Intervention,” the course is aimed at improving physicians’ understanding of the use of genetic testing in disease prevention. Available in early 2009, the class will discuss the genetic risk factors for disease, as well as the current evidence about the ability of genetic tests to assess risk.
This is an exciting time for the field of medicine.
“We are beginning to see healthcare’s evolvement from a discipline focused primarily on treating existing diseases and conditions to one that gives equal credence to preventing those diseases in the first place,” said Michael Barry, executive director of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
“We are excited to be helping physicians on the frontline of care become more familiar with multiple risk assessment strategies and the evidence behind new technologies—including genomic applications—that can help patients better understand their risk for disease and take appropriate actions to mitigate that risk,” he said.
To that end, national experts in genomics, prevention and epidemiology are designing the course to explore many issues related to genetic testing and disease prevention, including:
- The evidence for genetic screening and risk factors to epidemiological approaches typically used to identify disease risk
- The potential benefits and harms derived from different types of genetic tests
- The current evidence around genomic association studies and how a physician can evaluate their quality
As we’ve been saying, through genetic testing, patients can learn whether they are at increased risk of developing some health conditions that may be prevented with lifestyle changes, such as increased exercise and modified diets. The tests may also help physicians detect health conditions such as celiac disease much earlier in patients, and early treatment could improve patient outcomes.
The ACPM has a long history of helping physicians incorporate preventive medicine into their practices.
Navigenics is very pleased to provide support to the college, enabling it to educate physicians about the current scientific and clinical frameworks underlying preventive genomic medicine.
In just a few months, the continuing medical education (CME) course will be available on the college’s website as well as on DVD-ROM. It meets the standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.
Dentist McKinney Jul 27, 2009
That would really improve health care of people if it genetic-testing and screening is available for all of us. This will secure a healthy community.