Understanding the Barriers and Enablers of Pharmacogenomic Testing in Primary Care: A Qualitative Systematic Review with Meta-Aggregation Synthesis

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacogenomic testing can indicate which drugs may have limited therapeutic action or lead to adverse effects, hence guiding rational and safe prescribing. However, in the UK and other countries, there are still significant barriers to implementation of testing in primary care. Objective: This systematic review presents the barriers and enablers to the implementation of pharmacogenomics in primary care setting. Materials & methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases were searched through to July 2020 for studies that reported primary qualitative data of primary care professionals and patient views. Following screening, data extraction and quality assessment, data synthesis was undertaken using meta-aggregation based on the theoretical domain’s framework (TDF). Confidence in the synthesized findings relating to credibility and dependability was established using CONQual. Eligible papers were categorized into six TDF domains – knowledge; social and professional roles; behavioral regulation; beliefs and consequences; environmental context and resources; and social influences. Results: From 1669 citations, eighteen eligible studies were identified across seven countries, with a sample size of 504 participants including both primary care professionals and patients. From the data, 15 synthesized statements, all with moderate CONQual rating emerged. These categories range from knowledge, awareness among Primary Care Physicians and patients, professional relationships, negative impact of PGx, belief that PGx can reduce adverse drug reactions, clinical evidence, cost–effectiveness, informatics, reporting issues and social issues. Conclusion: Through use of TDF, fifteen synthesized statements provide policymakers with valuable recommendations for the implementation of pharmacogenomics in primary care. In preparation, policymakers need to consider the introduction of effective educational strategies for both PCPs and patients to raise knowledge, awareness, and engagement. The actual introduction of PGx will require reorganization with decision support tools to aid use of PGx in primary care, with a clear delegation of roles and responsibilities between general professionals and pharmacists supplemented by a local pool of experts. Further policy makers need to address the cost effectiveness of pharmacogenomics and having appropriate infrastructure supporting testing and interpretation including informatic solutions for utilizing pharmacogenomic results.

Pharmacogenetics Clinical Decision Support Systems for Primary Care in England: Co-Design Study

“…A systematic review by Qureshi et al on the barriers and facilitators of pharmacogenetics in primary care suggested that implementation may be facilitated by educating clinicians around the benefits of pharmacogenetic testing. [31] A UK based study on perceptions of primary care clinicians revealed interesting concerns around the costeffectiveness of pharmacogenetics and the risks of direct-to-consumer consumer testing. [32] Reflecting on these findings as well as on the results from a structured review on implementation models by Hayward et al, it is clear that any pharmacogenetic programme in primary care must have an educational component as one of its core pillars in order to be successful.…”

Involvement of Cultural Competence and Ethical Considerations in Pharmacogenomic Testing in Community Pharmacy

“…The genes will be diagnosed and experimented and pharmacogenetic testing cannot be carried out unethically. According to the words of Qureshi et al (2021), the ethical considerations in the form of informed consent where the individual considered for this type of test needs to be informed to make the individual understand the relevance of the test and carry out that test effectively without any kind of prohibitions. The right towards information is another ethical aspect where the individual has the right to get every form of information regarding pharmacogenomic testing.…”

Integrating pharmacogenomic testing into personalized medicine practices in the USA: Implications for medication quality control and therapeutic efficacy

“…, Fahim, et. al., 2023, Qureshi, et. al., 2021 Overcoming these challenges requires collaboration among stakeholders, including healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, and patients, to develop guidelines, increase awareness, and ensure access to pharmacogenomic testing.…”