Knowledge and Attitudes of Medical and Health Science Students in the United Arab Emirates toward Genomic Medicine and Pharmacogenomics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rahma, Azhar T.; Elsheik, Mahanna; Elbarazi, Iffat; Ali, Bassam R.; Patrinos, George P.; Kazim, Maitha A; Alfalasi, Salma S; Ahmed, Luai A.; Al-Maskari, Fatma

doi:10.3390/jpm10040191

Cited by 24 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This study revealed that medical and pharmacy students at YU recognized the benefits of pharmacogenomics for therapy optimization. However, similar patterns of positive attitudes and insufficient exposure to pharmacogenomics information (such as reading articles or using online data resources) were reported among healthcare students of the University of Minnesota [23], the University of Zimbabwe [28], and universities in the United Arab Emirates [29]. Furthermore, this study revealed that 86% of future physicians and pharmacists supported providing pharmacogenetic testing in Jordan.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Toward Interprofessional Education of Pharmacogenomics: An Interdisciplinary Assessment

Yehya¹,

Matalgah²

2021

Pharmacology

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Introduction: Pharmacogenomics, which emerged from disciplines such as pharmacology and genetics, is an increasingly important interdisciplinary field of health research, as indicated by the rapid growth of related literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge among genetics and pharmacology health-care students and to evaluate their exposure to and perceptions of pharmacogenomics. Methods: An anonymous, 28-item online survey was distributed to medical and pharmacy students enrolled at Yarmouk University, Jordan. Results: The respondents (n = 300) had an overall moderate level of knowledge regarding genetics and pharmacology. Most respondents recognized the benefits of pharmacogenomics for therapy optimization, but they had insufficient exposure to the topic. Most respondents supported providing pharmacogenetic testing in Jordan. The most preferred educational format in pharmacogenomics was integration in pharmacology courses. Discussion/Conclusion: Medical and pharmacy students are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of pharmacogenomics in therapy optimization. Challenges such as the complexity of the topic and low retention of previous knowledge should be addressed to promote pharmacogenomics education. More work is needed to increase students’ exposure to pharmacogenomics information. A deeper integration of pharmacogenomics applications into pharmacology courses is proposed to emphasize applications of pharmacogenomics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Toward Interprofessional Education of Pharmacogenomics: An Interdisciplinary Assessment

Yehya¹,

Matalgah²

2021

Pharmacology

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“…The main objective of pharmacogenomics is to assess the impact of an individuals' genetic makeup on drug efficacy and tolerance, and it is a vital factor in the new era of tailored medicine [18]. The field of pharmacogenomics is quite fresh in the Middle East.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Pharmacy Students towards Pharmacogenomics and Genetics: An Observational Study from King Saud University

Arafah

Rehman

Alrabiah

et al. 2022

Genes

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Pharmacists are considered among the most accessible healthcare workers in fundamental positions to implement new clinical initiatives, such as pharmacogenomics services. The scope of pharmacogenomics in improving health outcomes and the quality of health care is well-known. Implementation of such initiatives requires adequate knowledge, perception, and positive attitudes among pharmacists. A study was conducted on pharmacy students at King Saud University in Riyadh to analyze their attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions concerning pharmacogenomics to explore the feasibility of establishing full-time pharmacogenomics instruction and services. A cross-sectional study was carried out in one of the significant pharmacy schools of Saudi Arabia, using a simple questionnaire-based survey in pharmacy students pursuing Bpharm and PharmD courses to obtain preliminary information about pharmacogenomics among the surveyed population. The study’s secondary objective was to determine the perceived belief about pharmacogenomics implementation in clinical practice. Out of the total of 552 participants, 41.8% correctly defined pharmacogenomics and 81.3% understood that genetic change could lead to adverse reactions. More than half of the participants agreed that the FDA recommends pharmacogenomics testing for certain drugs. The knowledge about a year of use of pharmacogenomics in clinical practice was found to be very low; only 15.2% could correctly answer. Only 60% of students agreed on pharmacogenomics testing for selecting the therapy with the most negligible adverse effects. Due to the limited knowledge about and understanding of pharmacogenomics, there is a lack of interest among pharmacy students in implementing pharmacogenomics testing in clinical practice. Our study highlights the need for improving pharmacy students’ knowledge about pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics so that the implementation of pharmacogenomics testing in clinical practice will become easier. There is a need to introduce an up-to-date curriculum for pharmacy courses other pharmacogenomics-based health education programs in Saudi Arabia.

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“…In addition to the assessment of PGx and PM coverage in undergraduate education, recent studies also evaluated the perception and awareness of undergraduates on related concepts, with most undergraduates having a positive attitude towards PGx and PM [56][57][58][59]. These studies served as the groundwork for educational bodies on revising curriculum maps; and for the national and international community to determine the future direction of implementing PGx and PM into public education and clinical practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of personalized medicine, pharmacogenomics, and genetic testing among undergraduates in Hong Kong

Cheung

Fung

et al. 2021

Hum Genomics

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Background The global development and advancement of genomic medicine in the recent decade has accelerated the implementation of personalized medicine (PM) and pharmacogenomics (PGx) into clinical practice, while catalyzing the emergence of genetic testing (GT) with relevant ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI). Results The perception of university undergraduates with regards to PM and PGx was investigated, and 80% of undergraduates valued PM as a promising healthcare model with 66% indicating awareness of personal genome testing companies. When asked about the curriculum design towards PM and PGx, compared to undergraduates in non-medically related curriculum, those studying in medically related curriculum had an adjusted 7.2 odds of perceiving that their curriculum was well-designed for learning PGx (95% CI 3.6–14.6) and a 3.7 odds of perceiving that PGx was important in their study (95% CI 2.0–6.8). Despite this, only 16% of medically related curriculum undergraduates would consider embarking on future education on PM. When asked about their perceptions on GT, 60% rated their genetic knowledge as “School Biology” level or below while 76% would consider undergoing a genetic test. As for ELSI, 75% of undergraduates perceived that they were aware of ethical issues of GT in general, particularly on “Patient Privacy” (80%) and “Data Confidentiality” (68%). Undergraduates were also asked about their perceived reaction upon receiving an unfavorable result from GT, and over half of the participants perceived that they would feel “helpless or pessimistic” (56%), “inadequate or different” (59%), and “disadvantaged at job seeking” (59%), while older undergraduates had an adjusted 2.0 odds of holding the latter opinion (95% CI 1.1–3.5), compared to younger undergraduates. Conclusion Hong Kong undergraduates showed a high awareness of PM but insufficient genetic knowledge and low interest in pursuing a career towards PM. They were generally aware of ethical issues of GT and especially concerned about patient privacy and data confidentiality. There was a predominance of pessimistic views towards unfavorable testing results. This study calls for the attention to evaluate education and talent development on genomics, and update existing legal frameworks on genetic testing in Hong Kong.

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Knowledge and Attitudes of Medical and Health Science Students in the United Arab Emirates toward Genomic Medicine and Pharmacogenomics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cited by 24 publications

References 46 publications

Toward Interprofessional Education of Pharmacogenomics: An Interdisciplinary Assessment

Toward Interprofessional Education of Pharmacogenomics: An Interdisciplinary Assessment

Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Pharmacy Students towards Pharmacogenomics and Genetics: An Observational Study from King Saud University

Perception of personalized medicine, pharmacogenomics, and genetic testing among undergraduates in Hong Kong

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