title: Community pharmacists' attitudes towards clinical utility and ethical implications of pharmacogenetic testing.
abstract: To examine community pharmacists' attitudes towards pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing, including their views of the clinical utility of PGx and the ethical, social, legal and practical implications of PGx testing.
  
  
  
  A web-based survey administered to 5600 licensed community pharmacists in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania (USA).
  
  
  
  Of 580 respondents, 78% had a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy and 58% worked in a chain drug store. Doctors of pharmacy-trained pharmacists had a significantly higher knowledge score than those with a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy (3.2 ± 0.9 vs 2.6 ± 0.6; p < 0.0001). All pharmacists had positive attitudes towards PGx and most (87%) felt it would decrease the number of adverse events, and optimize drug dosing. More than half (57%) of pharmacists felt that it was their role to counsel patients regarding PGx information. Many (65%) were concerned that PGx test results may be used to deny health insurance.
  
  
  
  Regardless of the type of education, all pharmacists had positive attitudes towards PGx. There is still a concern among pharmacists that PGx test results may be used to deny health insurance and, thus, there is a need to educate pharmacists about legal protections prohibiting certain forms of unfair discrimination based on genotype.
authors.affiliation: Penn Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, PA, USA ; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Translational Medicine & Human Genetics, Smilow Translational Research Center, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421, 11-142, PA 19104-5158, USA.
authors.forename: Sony
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuteja
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.affiliation: Penn Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zayac
authors.affiliation: The Raabe College of Pharmacy, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.affiliation: Penn Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, PA, USA ; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Translational Medicine & Human Genetics, Smilow Translational Research Center, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421, 11-142, PA 19104-5158, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.affiliation: Penn Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies, PA, USA ; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Translational Medicine & Human Genetics, Smilow Translational Research Center, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421, 11-142, PA 19104-5158, USA.
authors.forename: Reed
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pyeritz
keywords: community pharmacy; ethics; genetic testing; personalized medicine; pharmacists; pharmacogenetics; pharmacogenomics