Patient experiences with pharmacogenetic testing in a primary care setting

Abstract

Aim: To investigate patient experiences with pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing. Methods: Patients were offered PGx testing through a study on pharmacist-assisted delivery of PGx testing and invited to complete pre- and post-testing surveys about their experience. Results: Of 63 patients tested, 17 completed the baseline survey (27%). Interest in testing was mostly impacted by desire to inform selection of best treatment (n = 13). Seven of 12 patients that completed the follow-up survey indicated that their provider discussed the test result with them. Five patients understood their test result very or somewhat well. All would be likely to have PGx testing again. Conclusion: Patients perceived PGx testing to be useful, though more effort may be needed to improve patient–provider communication of test results.