Counseling Customers: Emerging Roles for Genetic Counselors in the Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Market

摘要: Individuals now have access to an increasing number of internet resources offering personal genomics services. As the direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT) industry expands, critics called for pre- and post-test counseling be included with product. Several companies offer counseling. There has been no examination date this service provision, whether it meets critics’ concerns implications may profession. Considering relevance genetics in healthcare, complexity information provided by DTC GT, mediating role counseling, potential conflicts interest, is a topic which deserves further attention. In paper we discourse analysis ways represented on GT websites, blogs other online material. This identified four types websites: integrated product; discretionary counseling; independent product advice. Genetic counselors are as having following roles: educator; mediator; lifestyle advisor; risk interpreter; entrepreneur. We conclude that websites demonstrates shifting professional roles forms expertise also playing important part how market taking shape. Our offers timely insights into recent developments profession, practitioners, researchers policy makers concerned evolving field genomics.