Clinical implications of pharmacogenetic and microarray testing for advanced practice nurses.

PURPOSE

The rapidly changing field of pharmacogenetics requires that advanced practice providers have a fundamental foundation in genetics and genetic testing on which new knowledge can be built. Testing for allelic variation in the well-researched Cytochrome P450 pathways and other pathways of drug metabolism is done through microarray testing. Understanding the process microarray testing provides a framework for understanding pharmacogenetic testing.

DATA SOURCES

Genetic, pharmacogenetic, and biotechnical literature is reviewed to explain the genetics and biotechnology behind testing for allelic variation. Clinical examples of applied pharmacogenetic testing in cardiology and psychiatry are provided from the nursing literature.

CONCLUSION

The advent and practical application of inexpensive and available testing aimed to identify genetic variations in individual patient metabolism of common and critical medications, necessitates that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have a deeper understanding of the biotechnology involved in pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomics testing.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Providers with a working knowledge of the microarray testing method will have a framework for understanding which patients to test, what tests to order, and how to interpret the results of these genetic tests. APRNs need to increase their reliance on the interdisciplinary databases that maintain the most current and relevant knowledge of pharmacogenetics.