The Level of Importance and Level of Confidence that Midwives in the United States Attach to Using Genetics in Practice

Abstract

Genetics education programs need to be developed and made available to midwives to increase their confidence levels in using genetics in clinical practice.

Nurses’ competence in genetics: An integrative review

“…In seven studies (Calzone et al, , ; Calzone, Jenkins, & Culp, et al ; Coleman et al, ; Godino et al, ; Pestka et al, ; Seven et al, ) the participants were specified as registered nurses. Crane et al () used certified nurse midwives (CNM) and Godino et al () used midwives in addition to registered nurses. Sussner et al () used nurse practitioners in addition to other clinicians.…”

“…In seven studies (Calzone et al, , ; Calzone, Jenkins, & Culp, et al ; Godino et al, ; Pestka et al, , ; Seven et al, ), the majority of participants had a bachelor degree as the highest level of education. Coleman et al () and Crane et al () reported that most participants had a master's degree. Sussner et al (), Lillie et al (), and Godino et al () did not specifically report on educational levels in their studies.…”

“…Sussner et al () found that nurse practitioners at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City were less likely to refer patients to genetic counseling for cancer risk ( p = .0005) and reported less confidence in their ability to make appropriate referrals compared with other clinicians. In midwifery, Crane et al () found that most CNM who were active members of the American College of Nurse‐Midwives believed that genomics was very important or essential to their clinical practice and reported a 70% average confidence score.…”

Educational needs of nurses to provide genetic services in prenatal care: A cross‐sectional study from Turkey

“…Overall, 37.1% of prenatal nurses ( n = 43) wished to attend a certification program in genetics specifically for nurses. By contrast, other Turkish studies conducted among nurses working in different settings and countries reported that most nurses were willing to learn more about genetics in order to enhance their professional roles (Terzioğlu & Dinç ; Crane et al ; Godino et al ; Seven et al ). Considering the low level of desire for further education in genetics in our sample, it is necessary to create awareness among prenatal nurses in Turkey about how genetics relates to their daily practice, involving the need for knowledge of genetics during PNC.…”

“…Other studies have evaluated the genetics knowledge of midwives or both midwives and nurses (Goedert et al ; Godino et al ). To our knowledge, however, few studies have focused on the genetics‐related knowledge and clinical practices of nurses or nurse–midwives, particularly in prenatal settings (Crane et al ; Lee et al ). Although prenatal nurses were among the first groups of nurses to integrate genetics into clinical practice, recent genetic advances have significantly affected prenatal practice (Lewis ; Lee et al ).…”