Begleiter Michael L
Section of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA.
Nat Rev Genet. 2002 Jul;3(7):557-61. doi: 10.1038/nrg844.
Genetic counsellors are uniquely trained to provide support, explanations and guidance to individuals or families who have been diagnosed with a genetic disorder. As our knowledge of the genetic basis of disease increases, so does our ability to diagnose it and so does the demand for appropriately trained genetic counsellors. Despite this growing demand, only a handful of countries provides formal courses in genetic counselling, whereas other countries leave genetic counselling in the hands of medical practitioners or medical geneticists.
遗传咨询师经过专门培训，能够为被诊断患有遗传疾病的个人或家庭提供支持、解释和指导。随着我们对疾病遗传基础的认识不断增加，我们诊断疾病的能力也在提高，对经过适当培训的遗传咨询师的需求也在增加。尽管需求不断增长，但只有少数国家提供遗传咨询方面的正规课程，而其他国家则将遗传咨询工作交给医生或医学遗传学家。
