Background Data on the modalities of disclosing genomic secondary findings (SFs) remain scarce. We explore cancer patients’ and the general public’s perspectives about disclosing genomic SFs and the modalities of such disclosure. Methods Sixty-one cancer patients (n = 29) and members of the public (n = 32) participated in eight focus groups in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. They were asked to provide their perspectives of five fictitious vignettes related to medically actionable and non-actionable SFs. Two researchers used a codification framework to conduct a thematic content analysis of the group discussion transcripts. Results Cancer patients and members of the public were open to receive genomic SFs, considering their potential clinical and personal utility. They believed that the right to know or not and share or not such findings should remain the patient’s decision. They thought that the disclosure of SFs should be made mainly in person by the prescribing clinician. Maintaining confidentiality when so requested and preventing genetic discrimination were considered essential. Conclusion Participants in this study welcomed the prospect of disclosing genomic SFs, as long as the right to choose to know or not to know is preserved. They called for the development of policies and practice guidelines that aim to protect genetic information confidentiality as well as the autonomy, physical and psychosocial wellbeing of patients and families.

Background: Vaccination coverage needs to reach more than 80% to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy, fueled by misinformation, may jeopardize this goal. Unvaccinated older adults are not only at risk of COVID-19 complications but they may also be misled by false information. Prebunking, based on inoculation theory, involves "forewarning people [of] and refuting information that challenges their existing belief or behavior." Prebunking may be a promising strategy to combat misinformation.Objective: To assess the effectiveness of inoculation communication strategies in countering disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines among Canadians aged 50 years and older, as measured by their COVID-19 vaccine intentions.Wilcoxon sign rank test and Kruskal-Wallis were used to test difference scores between pre-and post-tests by condition.Results: Group comparisons between those who received only disinformation and those who received the inoculation message show that prebunking messages may safeguard intention to get vaccinated and have a protective effect against disinformation. Of note, the prebunking message targeting mRNA vaccine safety was more effective than the message explaining rapid approval. Conclusion:Prebunking messages should be considered as one strategy for public health communication to combat misinformation. To increase their effectiveness, prebunking messages need to be framed to target disinformation that negatively impacts the intention to vaccinate.

Funding informationMV and BM thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for its financial support. MV thanks the Fonds de recherche du Québec for its financial support.