title: Prioritization of future genetics education for general practitioners: a Delphi study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  General practitioners (GPs) are increasingly expected to deliver genetics services in daily patient care. Education in primary care genetics is considered suboptimal and in urgent need of revision and innovation. The aim of this study was to prioritize topics for genetics education for general practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Delphi consensus procedure consisting of three rounds was conducted. A purposively selected heterogeneous panel (n = 18) of experts, comprising six practicing GPs who were also engaged in research, five GP trainers, four clinical genetics professionals, and three representatives of patient organizations, participated. Educational needs regarding genetics in general practice in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes were rated and ranked in a top-10 list.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The entire panel completed all three rounds. Kendall's coefficient of concordance indicated significant agreement regarding the top 10 genetic education needs (P < 0.001). "Recognizing signals that are potentially indicative of a hereditary component of a disease" was rated highest, followed by "Evaluating indications for referral to a clinical genetics centre" and "Knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of genetic tests."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The priorities resulting from this study can inform the development of educational modules, including input for case-based education, to improve GP performance in genetic patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics, Section of Community Genetics, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.houwink@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Elisa J F
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Houwink
authors.forename: Lidewij
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Henneman
authors.forename: Myrte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westerneng
authors.forename: Scheltus J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: van Luijk
authors.forename: Martina C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cornel
authors.forename: Jan Geert
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dinant
authors.forename: Cees van der
authors.initials: Cv
authors.lastname: Vleuten
mesh_terms: D003697:Delphi Technique; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000639:trends; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D005826:Genetics, Medical / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans