| Institution: | 1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics, West Virginia University Medicine Children's Hospital, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;2. New York Mid-Atlantic Caribbean (NYMAC) Regional Genetics Network, Wadsworth Center, New York, USA;3. Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;4. School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;5. West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;6. West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA;7. Center for Public Health Innovation at CI International, Littleton, Colorado, USA |
| Abstract: | Telegenetics has shifted some genetic testing performance to the patient's own home, with the patient collecting his/her own sample. Little is known regarding the rate of test completion of such home-based genetic testing. This study compared the completion rate of home-based genetic tests before and after a reminder system was implemented. In the pre-reminder group, we reviewed medical records for patients who were seen via telegenetics and agreed to complete genetic testing using an at-home test kit. In the reminder group, a prospective analysis of the genetic test completion rate was performed taking a clinical quality improvement approach where three reminders were provided for patients who had not submitted their at-home genetic testing. Our study included 94 patients' records: 46 pre-reminders and 48 reminders. The lab received 24 patient samples (52.2%) in the pre-reminder group. In the reminder group, 30 patients returned their kits (62.5%). Despite a higher percentage of patients completing their test in the reminder group, there was no statistically significant difference between the pre-reminder and reminder groups. The rate of test completion in our pilot test was statistically similar between the two groups, but the reminder group was trending toward a higher percent of completion which may be clinically meaningful. |
