Posted by: Karen Hanson, ASHG Health Professional Education Programs Manager
ASHG is proud to announce our newest health professional educational program, “Prenatal cfDNA screening”. In response to rapid developments in prenatal cfDNA technology and concerns about its incorrect use, we developed this program to address a need for genetics education within the OB/GYN community, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and with help from colleagues from Kaiser Permanente California.
A needs assessment of this group suggested that their biggest challenges were communicating the fundamentals of prenatal cfDNA screening with patients and helping patients understand screening results. Based on these findings, the new program uses a case-based focus to model patient communication and review the basic science behind cfDNA technology, as well as discuss methods for incorporating this test into clinical practice. Our content was developed and reviewed by a team of experts in the field of prenatal care. The result is a program that includes three online education modules built around pre-test and post-test patient encounters, video case presentations using a standardized patient to demonstrate the integration of cfDNA screening into clinical practice, and point-of-care educational tools.
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Above: Health Professional Education Programs Manager Karen Hanson describes ASHG’s genetics education programs for providers.
Similar to our previous educational programming for health professionals, our goal for “Prenatal cfDNA Screening” is to improve the practice of medicine and patient outcomes. We’re hoping that this program helps health professionals improve communication with their patients regarding prenatal screening options in general and prenatal cfDNA screening specifically. To encourage participation, this program is modular, so that each part can be viewed separately at one’s own pace. In addition, it is CME accredited through the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
Karen Hanson, MS, MBA, CGC, is Health Professional Education Programs Manager at ASHG. Read more about ASHG’s educational programs for health professionals.