Clinical Pharmacists' Involvement in Pharmacogenomics Testing and Related Services in China.

Abstract

Background: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing is increasingly used in clinical practice to optimize drug therapies. This study aims to understand the involvement of clinical pharmacists in PGx testing at tertiary hospitals in China and their self-assessed capacity to deliver such services. Methods: We developed a questionnaire exploring clinical pharmacists’ involvement and self-assessed level of capacity of performing PGx tests. A random sample was obtained from the Pharmaceutical Affairs Management Professional Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association. Results: A total of 1005 clinical pharmacists completed the survey. Of these, 996 (99.1%) had heard of PGx tests and 588 (59.0%) had been involved in PGx testing and related services. Some clinical pharmacists (28.9%) provided PGx services at the rate of “1–5 cases/year” while 21.9% of clinical pharmacists provided PGx services at the rate of “>30 cases/year”. Clinical pharmacists most frequently provided PGx testing for cardiovascular diseases. “Consult relevant guidelines/literature” (90.1%) was the most frequently used method to familiarize oneself with PGx testing. About 60% of the pharmacists considered themselves to have poor or fair capacity to provide PGx testing and related services. Conclusions: More than half of the pharmacists had been involved in PGx testing and related services. However, pharmacists generally had little confidence in their knowledge level of and capacity to provide PGx-related services.