The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing on Patient and Provider

Mary Beth Palko Dinulos; Stephanie E Vallee

doi:10.1016/j.cll.2019.11.003

The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing on Patient and Provider

Clin Lab Med. 2020 Mar;40(1):61-67. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2019.11.003. Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Authors

Mary Beth Palko Dinulos¹, Stephanie E Vallee²

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03576, USA. Electronic address: mbd@hitchcock.org.
² Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03576, USA.

PMID: 32008640
DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2019.11.003

Abstract

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing came on the scene 2 decades ago as a means for allowing consumers to access their genetic information without the involvement of a physician or genetic counselor. Results are delivered directly to the consumer, often leading to misinterpretation and needless medical interventions or false reassurance. Increasingly, we are seeing these patients in our genetics clinics for test interpretation, management guidance and confirmatory genetic testing.

Keywords: 23andMe; Direct-to-consumer genetic testing; GWAS; SNPs.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Direct-To-Consumer Screening and Testing*
Genetic Counseling
Genetic Testing*
Genome-Wide Association Study
Humans
Physicians
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics