Abstract
Background:
Pharmacogenomics (PGx) constitutes an important part of personalized medicine and has several clinical applications. PGx role in clinical practice is known, however, it hasn’t been widely adopted yet. In this study, we aim to investigate the perspectives of Greek physicians regarding the implementation of PGx testing in clinical practice and the key issues associated with it via one-to-one interviews. Fourteen semi-structured interviews, mostly online, were conducted. Transcripts were coded independently and compared by two members of the research team. Descriptive statistics were generated using Excel.
Results:
Six main themes emerged: awareness and use of PGx testing; source of information; key stakeholders of the PGx supply chain, their interactions and change agents; clinical benefit and significance of PGx testing; barriers and lack of reimbursement; and recommendations to boost the PGx adoption rate. Most of the respondents were aware of PGx applications but only three of them had already recommended a PGx testing. Peer-reviewed journals along with clinical guidelines were regarded as the most used source of information while stakeholders of the PGx supply chain were discussed. PGx was considered that will promote patient-centered care, can enhance medication clinical effectiveness, decrease the risk of side effects and reduce healthcare costs. Lack of reimbursement, scarcity of resources, and high PGx cost were the foremost barriers affecting PGx adoption.
Conclusions:
It was concluded that if case PGx testing is reimbursed and physicians’ training is reinforced, PGx implementation will be boosted and improved shortly.