Are Graduate Medical Trainees Prepared for the Personalized Genomic Medicine Revolution? Trainee Perspectives at One Institution

Abstract

Although the use of genomics to inform clinical care is increasing, clinicians feel underprepared to integrate personalized medicine (PM) into care decisions. The educational needs of physician residents and fellows, also known as graduate medical trainees (GMTs), have been overlooked. We administered an anonymous, web-based survey to all GMTs participating in training programs affiliated with our institution to evaluate their knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward PM. Of the 1190 GMTs contacted, 319 (26.8%) returned surveys. Most (88.4%) respondents reported receiving PM education in the past. Although the respondents agreed that knowledge of disease genetics (80.9%) or pharmacogenetics (87.1%) would likely lead to improved clinical outcomes, only 33.2% of the respondents felt sufficiently informed about PM. The respondents who had received PM education in residency and/or fellowship had significantly higher self-reported knowledge, ability, awareness, and adoption of PM than those who had not received this education (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.01, respectively). Targeted training is needed to improve GMTs’ confidence in interpreting and explaining genetic test results. The ideal timing for this education appears to be in residency and/or fellowship rather than in medical school.