Genetics Education Is Viewed as Important, but Not a Priority in Physical Therapist Education

INTRODUCTIONThe Human Genome Project (HGP), a multicenter research initiative that sequenced and mapped the human genome, was completed in April 2003.1 The discoveries resulting from the HGP have promoted, and will continue to promote, advances in disease diagnosis, health risk profile assessment, and development of novel therapeutic treatment methods.1'5 As a consequence, genetic literacy (knowledge of genetic information and gene-based therapy) has been identified as an important education topic for all health professionals.1"10 The National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG), a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote the education of health professionals regarding advances in human genetics to improve health care, has recommended core competencies in genetics for all health care professionals that would allow integration of genetics into current practice and education.6'9While medical training educators have begun making headway in incorporating genetics literacy into mainstream medical training,2,5,6,8,9 the extent of such training across the varied health professions, and in particular within physical therapy, has been limited.2,5,8 Challen et al2(p252) conducted a survey of syllabi and curricula of major health professional education institutions in the United Kingdom and reported that genetics education of postgraduate medical specialists was "patchy and confined to specific single-gene disorders related to particular organ systems." Among nonphysician health professions (nurses, midwifes, health visitors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, radiographers), only nursing offered any defined genetics-related instruction. Specific to physiotherapy, the authors noted that genetics was not a key area of physiotherapy practice and as such "is not specifically taught or assessed."2*p25/* Long et al8 conducted a survey regarding genetics knowledge among health professionals, noting that only 14% of physical therapist (PT) respondents reported taking courses in genetics, while 45% indicated having genetics content in a course.Goldberg5 reported that in the United States (US), medical schools have developed a core curriculum in genetics, and the research literature in both medicine and nursing contained numerous genetics-related articles. By contrast, he noted a "paucity of information in the physical therapy professional literature related to genetics."5(pl0) Genetics only receives brief mention in the Normative Model of Physical Therapist Professional Education (Version 2004)7 and is not classified in the document as a basic foundational science. The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT)11 does not list genetics as a required prerequisite course for admission into professional PT education programs, and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapist Education (CAPTE)12 does not mention genetics among its required content courses.In an effort to identify basic essential clinical practice elements that all health professionals should possess relative to medical genetics, the NCHPEG developed a list of 21 core competencies.9 The competencies identified baseline, knowledge, skill, and attitude competencies that all health professionals should possess as a means of providing optimal care for their patients. According to the NCHPEG, all health care providers should possess baseline competencies, including the ability to regularly assess their own competencies and areas of genetics that would require continued professional development, understand the social and psychological implication of health related genetics, and know when it is appropriate to refer a patient to a genetics specialist.9 The NCHPEG further states that all health care professionals should understand basic genetics terminology and patterns of biologic inheritance, understand how genetics can influence disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options, and understand the ethical, legal, and social issues associated with gathering genetic information. …