Department of Bioanalysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
BMC Med Genomics. 2022 Sep 12;15(Suppl 3):193. doi: 10.1186/s12920-022-01308-7.
Personalized medicine is an emerging field, aiming to improve the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy. The field's implementation in clinical care is steadily increasing. Pharmacogenomics are one example of personalized approaches in the clinic and direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacogenomic tests have become publicly available. We aimed to assess public opinion on pharmacogenomic research and testing to foster integration within Belgian health care.
A cross-sectional survey was created and disseminated online, focusing on the citizen perspective. Participants' willingness to engage in pharmacogenomic research was the primary outcome. In addition, their awareness, understanding, expectations and overall acceptance towards pharmacogenomic testing was investigated.
A total of 156 participants (54.5% aged between 18 and 30 years, 45.5% > 30 years; 73.1% females) completed the survey. Half ever experienced side effects (46.2%) and treatment failure (52.6%). Up to 45.5% (n = 71) were willing to participate in pharmacogenomics research, and the majority (78.8%) were convinced that pharmacogenomic tests could help doctors to prescribe them the right medications. Additionally, 76.3% (n = 118) supported a partial reimbursement of pharmacogenomics tests. A minority (5.1%, n = 8) of participants showed interest in DTC tests, and 15.4% (n = 24) expressed privacy concerns regarding pharmacogenomics testing. Participants preferred their healthcare professionals' to perform the test and access their data, but refused commercial providers.
Overall, participants showed a positive attitude towards precision medicine and pharmacogenomics research. Our findings may help guiding future pharmacogenomic implementation initiatives to optimize drug use by using pharmacogenomic information integrated within health care.
个性化医学是一个新兴领域，旨在提高药物治疗的安全性和疗效。该领域在临床护理中的实施稳步增加。药物基因组学是临床中个性化方法的一个例子，直接面向消费者（DTC）的药物基因组学测试已经公开提供。我们旨在评估公众对药物基因组学研究和测试的看法，以促进其在比利时医疗保健中的整合。
创建了一项横断面调查并在网上传播，重点关注公民视角。参与者参与药物基因组学研究的意愿是主要结果。此外，还调查了他们对药物基因组学测试的认识、理解、期望和总体接受程度。
共有 156 名参与者（45.5%年龄在 18 至 30 岁之间，45.5%年龄大于 30 岁；73.1%为女性）完成了调查。近一半的人曾经经历过副作用（46.2%）和治疗失败（52.6%）。高达 45.5%（n=71）愿意参与药物基因组学研究，大多数（78.8%）人相信药物基因组学测试可以帮助医生为他们开正确的药物。此外，76.3%（n=118）支持部分报销药物基因组学测试。少数参与者（5.1%，n=8）对 DTC 测试表现出兴趣，15.4%（n=24）对药物基因组学测试的隐私问题表示关注。参与者更喜欢他们的医疗保健专业人员进行测试并访问他们的数据，但拒绝商业提供者。
总的来说，参与者对精准医学和药物基因组学研究表现出积极的态度。我们的研究结果可能有助于指导未来的药物基因组学实施计划，通过将药物基因组学信息整合到医疗保健中，优化药物的使用。
