Hospital nursing leadership-led interventions increased genomic awareness and educational intent in Magnet settings

Background

The Precision Medicine Initiative will accelerate genomic discoveries that improve health care, necessitating a genomic competent workforce.

Purpose

This study assessed leadership team (administrator/educator) year-long interventions to improve registered nurses' (RNs) capacity to integrate genomics into practice.

Methods

We examined genomic competency outcomes in 8,150 RNs.

Findings

Awareness and intention to learn more increased compared with controls. Findings suggest achieving genomic competency requires a longer intervention and support strategies such as infrastructure and policies. Leadership played a role in mobilizing staff, resources, and supporting infrastructure to sustain a large-scale competency effort on an institutional basis.

Discussion

Results demonstrate genomic workforce competency can be attained with leadership support and sufficient time. Our study provides evidence of the critical role health-care leaders play in facilitating genomic integration into health care to improve patient outcomes. Genomics' impact on quality, safety, and cost indicate a leader-initiated national competency effort is achievable and warranted.