Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, New York, USA.
Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA.
Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2021 Mar;187(1):28-36. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31855. Epub 2020 Nov 23.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the delivery of healthcare services, including genetic counseling. This study assessed the professional impact of the pandemic on genetic counselors (GCs) and evaluated how genetics service delivery models changed in New York State (NYS). One hundred sixty-five NYS GCs participated in an anonymous survey. Clinic structure, telegenetics (video and/or telephone consultations) use and acceptability, and professional practices before and during the pandemic were compared. The most frequently reported consultation type shifted from in-person only (49%) before the pandemic to telegenetics only (39%) during. Most were satisfied with video (93.1%) and telephone (81.4%) telegenetics. Additionally, 93.5% of participants expressed a desire to continue using telegenetics after the pandemic resolves. Common obstacles included difficulties coordinating sample collection (60.2%) and obtaining written consent for testing (57.6%). Billing methods for consultations during the pandemic did not change significantly. Participants were asked about NYS's lack of licensure, which restricts billing options. Most felt that genetic counseling licensure would benefit the profession (92.6%), the public (88.5%), and their institution/company (74.5%). This study provides insight into the effects of the rapid adoption of telegenetics and can guide future discussions about best practices for its use even after the health crisis resolves.
COVID-19 大流行扰乱了医疗保健服务的提供，包括遗传咨询。本研究评估了大流行对遗传咨询师（GC）的专业影响，并评估了纽约州（NYS）的遗传服务提供模式如何发生变化。165 名纽约州 GC 参与了一项匿名调查。比较了大流行前后诊所结构、远程遗传学（视频和/或电话咨询）的使用和可接受性以及专业实践。最常报告的咨询类型从大流行前的仅面对面（49%）转变为仅远程遗传学（39%）。大多数人对视频（93.1%）和电话（81.4%）远程遗传学感到满意。此外，93.5%的参与者表示希望在大流行解决后继续使用远程遗传学。常见的障碍包括难以协调样本采集（60.2%）和获得测试的书面同意（57.6%）。大流行期间咨询的计费方式没有显著变化。参与者被问及纽约州缺乏许可，这限制了计费选择。大多数人认为遗传咨询许可将使该行业（92.6%）、公众（88.5%）和他们的机构/公司（74.5%）受益。本研究深入了解了远程遗传学的快速采用的影响，并可以指导未来关于其使用的最佳实践的讨论，即使在健康危机解决之后。
