title: Adoption of pharmacogenomic testing by US physicians: results of a nationwide survey.
abstract: To develop a benchmark measure of US physicians' level of knowledge and extent of use of pharmacogenomic testing, we conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional, fax-based, national survey. Of 397,832 physicians receiving the survey questionnaire, 10,303 (3%) completed and returned it; the respondents were representative of the overall US physician population. The factors associated with the decision to test were evaluated using χ(2) and multivariate logistic regression. Overall, 97.6% of responding physicians agreed that genetic variations may influence drug response, but only 10.3% felt adequately informed about pharmacogenomic testing. Only 12.9% of physicians had ordered a test in the previous 6 months, and 26.4% anticipated ordering a test in the next 6 months. Early and future adopters of testing were more likely to have received training in pharmacogenomics, but only 29.0% of physicians overall had received any education in the field. Our findings highlight the need for more effective physician education on the clinical value, availability, and interpretation of pharmacogenomic tests.
authors.affiliation: Medco Research Institute, LLC, Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA. eric_stanek@medco.com
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Stanek
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: K A Johansen
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Verbrugge
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Agatep
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Frueh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies / Q000379:methods; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult