Educate patients and physicians
In an interview, Daniel J. Pambianco, MD, from Charlottesville (Va.) Gastroenterology Associates, who was not involved in the study, commented that patient perceptions about the consequences of genetic testing may be a barrier to either getting a referral for counseling or following through on one.
“Oftentimes patients will perceive anything with ‘genetic’ in it as if their genes are somehow being manipulated, and we need to do a better job at educating patients in that regard,” he said.
Physicians, both primary care practitioners and gastroenterologists, also need to fully appreciate the importance of genetic testing in this population, “because in essence there may be a 4%, 5%, or 6% risk of genetic syndromes that we’re missing and cannot pick up just from getting patients’ histories,” he said.
The investigators did not report a study funding source. Dr. Syed and Dr. Pambianco reported having no relevant financial disclosures.