"As Gene Test Menu Grows, Who Gets to Choose?" was the headline of a very interesting story in the Science Section of last week's New York Times. Here is a quote from the article:
Too many health care providers, critics say, have not educated themselves about the genetic tests that could benefit their patients. Others, pressed for time, simply do not communicate what can be complex information. And some choose not to inform their patients of certain tests they have deemed inappropriate, in effect making a value judgment about abortion, disabilities and risk that patients say they have a right to make for themselves.Posted by Marcia Oddi at July 26, 2004 07:31 AMSome critics also blame the professional societies that set policy for specialists, which they say are reluctant to endorse scientifically valid tests for fear of exposing their members to lawsuits. As a result, advocates for patients say, the medical profession is failing to deliver the benefits of the genomic revolution to the public that financed it.
Medical professionals say they need to assess which of the hundreds of tests that have become available in the last decade are most useful for any given patient. They also say they do not want to alarm people unduly by suggesting they be tested for conditions that are rare. Even though someone might want to assess the risk of every known condition, they say such an approach would not justify the public health expense.