Genomic tests are advancing rapidly, and conditions that couldn’t previously be detected, potentially can be detected now. The accelerated nature of these changes may create a gap in your knowledge, leaving you unsure about which families should be referred to clinical genetics.
This uncertainty, and the fact you don’t want to waste people’s time, can mean that the pregnant person is referred to another health professional – who may also have the same knowledge ‘gap’ – before finally being referred to clinical genetics.
Time is of the essence
This extra step may mean the appointment doesn’t occur until after the dating scan, potentially placing clinical genetic teams under pressure to discuss all options, including the offer and arranging of prenatal testing, in a timely manner.
Help is at hand
What if you could reduce the wait for the family, liaise directly with the clinical genetics department to improve the timely care for the family, feedback to the family if required, document the pregnancy notes, and improve your job satisfaction and confidence at the same time?
As part of the Fetal Genomic Transformation project, we worked together to design a simple method for receiving advice from the clinical genetics team.
Simples
Simply add:
- GAP (Genetics Advice in Pregnancy) to the beginning of the email subject line. This allows the team to quickly identify that advice is being sought.
- Do this as soon as possible, ensuring you include family details and DOB, if you have them.
- You don’t need to wait for the dating scan.
It may be that you’ll still be required to send a referral to the clinical genetics team, but you’ll be improving timely access to genomic services, and be able to clearly document the offer, acceptance and outcome of the enquiry.