NAVAGATE: a rubric to move from pharmacogenomics science to pharmacogenomics practice

Abstract

Integration of pharmacogenomic data at the point of care is the next essential step in translating years of research into evidence-based decisions that impact the care of an individual patient. The use of clinical recommendations for pharmacogenomic data help clinicians to better select and monitor drug therapy. However, a systematic rubric for utilizing the data ensures a thorough implementation of the information in a way that may improve the application of the new scientific discoveries. NAVAGATE is a set of eight questions to ask when considering a pharmacogenomic test or test result when caring for a patient. The series of questions are meant to inform prescribing or dispensing when obtaining or employing pharmacogenomic data for these steps within the medical-care framework. In this article two key examples are used to exemplify the benefits of following a systematic process to evaluate the utility of the new scientific data.