Abstract 6310: Designing genomic test reports using a user-centered approach for clinicians in Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract In the developed world, precision medicine and genomics are transforming traditional healthcare approaches. In spite of rapid technological progress being made in genomics, a 'genomic divide' is emerging between developed and developing countries. This is partly because of the limited genomic literacy of healthcare professionals and a scarcity of available genomics workforce that reportedly deters them from proposing genomic testing. We aim to help reduce this 'genomic divide' by proposing a genomic test report design for clinicians in Pakistan, that incorporates user-centered design principles. We tested two commonly used genomic reportswiththat varied in language, content and layout. Report A was a one-page genomic report from the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, of a patient with suspected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Report B was a report from FoundationOneCDx, of a breast carcinoma specimen with confirmed findings mentioned. We employed a qualitative descriptive study design, including a survey for trainees, non-specialists, and specialists. The parameters recorded were: subject comprehension, overall visual impression, level of difficulty of the language, and ease of understanding, along with, actionability and degree of trust. A total of 49 medical professionals across 11 institutes in Pakistan participated in the survey, of which 11 were specialists and 38 were non-specialists. We extracted 19 recommendations from the survey and broadly grouped them into three categories: communication style, report content, and layout. About 25% of the respondents commented that they would prefer a short and concise report, 20.8% wanted the language to be ‘doctor-friendly’ and 8.3% preferred data to be presented in tables. All recommendations were incorporated into our proposed genomic test report template. The template displays the results and what they mean for the patient (in layman's terms for ease of access to non-specialists), what possible action is to be taken by the doctor, and details of further information and support regarding the results. We propose the addition of a box on technical methodology at the end of the report template that may help in assisting with refreshing the genomic knowledge of non-specialists. Our findings have shown that in order to design impactful genomic reports for clinicians in Pakistan, we will have to start with a user-centered design approach. This can be instrumental in helping us improve the adoption of genomic testing in clinics around Pakistan. Citation Format: Momal Agha, Faisal Khan. Designing genomic test reports using a user-centered approach for clinicians in Pakistan [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 6310.