TY - JOUR
T1 - Web platform vs in-person genetic counselor for return of carrier results from exome sequencing a randomized clinical trial
AU - Biesecker, Barbara B.
AU - Lewis, Katie L.
AU - Umstead, Kendall L.
AU - Johnston, Jennifer J.
AU - Turbitt, Erin
AU - Fishler, Kristen P.
AU - Patton, John H.
AU - Miller, Ilana M.
AU - Heidlebaugh, Alexis R.
AU - Biesecker, Leslie G.
N1 - Funding Information:
Ms Fishler, Mr Patton, Mr Miller, and Dr L. Biesecker were supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants HG200359 08 and HG200387 03.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/3
Y1 - 2018/3
N2 - IMPORTANCE A critical bottleneck in clinical genomics is the mismatch between large volumes of results and the availability of knowledgeable professionals to return them. OBJECTIVE To test whether a web-based platform is noninferior to a genetic counselor for educating patients about their carrier results from exome sequencing. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A randomized noninferiority trial conducted in a longitudinal sequencing cohort at the National Institutes of Health from February 5, 2014, to December 16, 2016, was used to compare the web-based platform with a genetic counselor. Among the 571 eligible participants, 1 to 7 heterozygous variants were identified in genes that cause a phenotype that is recessively inherited. Surveys were administered after cohort enrollment, immediately following trial education, and 1 month and 6 months later to primarily healthy postreproductive participants who expressed interest in learning their carrier results. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were applied. INTERVENTIONS A web-based platform that integrated education on carrier results with personal test results was designed to directly parallel disclosure education by a genetic counselor. The sessions took a mean (SD) time of 21 (10.6), and 27 (9.3) minutes, respectively. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomes and noninferiority margins (dNI) were knowledge (0 to 8, dNI = -1), test-specific distress (0 to 30, dNI = +1), and decisional conflict (15 to 75, dNI = +6). RESULTS After 462 participants (80.9%) provided consent and were randomized, all but 3 participants (n = 459) completed surveys following education and counseling; 398 (86.1%) completed 1-month surveys and 392 (84.8%) completed 6-month surveys. Participants were predominantly well-educated, non-Hispanic white, married parents; mean (SD) age was 63 (63.1) years and 246 (53.6%) were men. The web platform was noninferior to the genetic counselor on outcomes assessed at 1 and 6 months: knowledge (mean group difference, -0.18; lower limit of 97.5% CI, -0.63; dNI = -1), test-specific distress (median group difference, 0; upper limit of 97.5% CI, 0; dNI = +1), and decisional conflict about choosing to learn results (mean group difference, 1.18; upper limit of 97.5% CI, 2.66; dNI = +6). There were no significant differences between the genetic counselors and web-based platform detected between modes of education delivery in disclosure rates to spouses (151 vs 159; relative risk [RR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.64-1.69; P > .99), children (103 vs 117; RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.85-1.36; P = .59), or siblings (91 vs 78; RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.94-1.46; P = .18). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This trial demonstrates noninferiority of web-based return of carrier results among postreproductive, mostly healthy adults. Replication studies among younger and more diverse populations are needed to establish generalizability. Yet return of results via a web-based platform may be sufficient for subsets of test results, reserving genetic counselors for return of results with a greater health threat.
AB - IMPORTANCE A critical bottleneck in clinical genomics is the mismatch between large volumes of results and the availability of knowledgeable professionals to return them. OBJECTIVE To test whether a web-based platform is noninferior to a genetic counselor for educating patients about their carrier results from exome sequencing. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A randomized noninferiority trial conducted in a longitudinal sequencing cohort at the National Institutes of Health from February 5, 2014, to December 16, 2016, was used to compare the web-based platform with a genetic counselor. Among the 571 eligible participants, 1 to 7 heterozygous variants were identified in genes that cause a phenotype that is recessively inherited. Surveys were administered after cohort enrollment, immediately following trial education, and 1 month and 6 months later to primarily healthy postreproductive participants who expressed interest in learning their carrier results. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were applied. INTERVENTIONS A web-based platform that integrated education on carrier results with personal test results was designed to directly parallel disclosure education by a genetic counselor. The sessions took a mean (SD) time of 21 (10.6), and 27 (9.3) minutes, respectively. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomes and noninferiority margins (dNI) were knowledge (0 to 8, dNI = -1), test-specific distress (0 to 30, dNI = +1), and decisional conflict (15 to 75, dNI = +6). RESULTS After 462 participants (80.9%) provided consent and were randomized, all but 3 participants (n = 459) completed surveys following education and counseling; 398 (86.1%) completed 1-month surveys and 392 (84.8%) completed 6-month surveys. Participants were predominantly well-educated, non-Hispanic white, married parents; mean (SD) age was 63 (63.1) years and 246 (53.6%) were men. The web platform was noninferior to the genetic counselor on outcomes assessed at 1 and 6 months: knowledge (mean group difference, -0.18; lower limit of 97.5% CI, -0.63; dNI = -1), test-specific distress (median group difference, 0; upper limit of 97.5% CI, 0; dNI = +1), and decisional conflict about choosing to learn results (mean group difference, 1.18; upper limit of 97.5% CI, 2.66; dNI = +6). There were no significant differences between the genetic counselors and web-based platform detected between modes of education delivery in disclosure rates to spouses (151 vs 159; relative risk [RR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.64-1.69; P > .99), children (103 vs 117; RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.85-1.36; P = .59), or siblings (91 vs 78; RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.94-1.46; P = .18). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This trial demonstrates noninferiority of web-based return of carrier results among postreproductive, mostly healthy adults. Replication studies among younger and more diverse populations are needed to establish generalizability. Yet return of results via a web-based platform may be sufficient for subsets of test results, reserving genetic counselors for return of results with a greater health threat.
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U2 - 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.8049
DO - 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.8049
M3 - Article
C2 - 29356820
AN - SCOPUS:85042923179
VL - 178
SP - 338
EP - 346
JO - Archives of internal medicine (Chicago, Ill. : 1908)
JF - Archives of internal medicine (Chicago, Ill. : 1908)
SN - 2168-6106
IS - 3
ER -