Companies like 23andMe provide direct-to-consumer genetic tests which patients order from their homes and then bring to their doctors to discuss the results. However, patients have been reporting mixed reactions from their doctors, ranging from agreeable to downright dismissive.
According to Reuters, from a survey of 1,026 23andMe and Pathway Genomics customers, 35 percent of those that went on to share their results with their doctor reported satisfying encounters while 18 percent of them were not so happy with their experience.
One customer who wasn't satisfied with her doctor's reaction said that her doctor didn't believe in direct-to-consumer genetic testing and didn't even look at her results.
Dr. Wylie Burke of the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington in Seattle shared that there is no evidence that links the data on these tests with improved health outcomes. Even though genetics factor in highly with regard to diabetes and heart disease, diet and lifestyle are also considerable causes for these ailments.
The Problem w/ Precision Med: "Many doctors are simply not qualified to make sense of genetic tests" https://t.co/Fg6Fk47oo5 via @NewYorker
— The Snarky Scientist (@SnarkyScientist) March 18, 2016
But Dr. Robert Green, director of the Genomes2People Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said that some patients need to prepare themselves for the reality that their doctors may not be completely on board with these tests. However, he also insists that no matter what a doctor believes, it is his or her duty to open a conversation with their patients regarding genetic testing in a way that is respectful while teaching their patients about the tests at the same time.
In the case of one Angie Watts, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, a conflict in recommendations between two professionals, a doctor and a professor of genetics and medicine, can prove to be worrying when the treatment is between radiation or a lumpectomy.
MedCity News concludes that as of the moment, it's still alright to be ordering these tests but their reliability is something that will have to come in time.
