Parental understanding and attitudes following pharmacogenomic testing for pediatric neuropsychiatric patients.

Abstract

Aim: This study explores parental understanding and attitudes around pharmacogenomic results in their child(ren). Patients and methods: In-depth interviews with parents whose child(ren) had received a pharmacogenomic testing panel for management of neuropsychiatric medications were completed. Interviews were analyzed for themes and accuracy of understanding of results. Results: In 18 parents interviewed, 49/63 (78%) of statements made regarding results were accurate. Differences in understanding were seen by clinic, number of medicationsand result type. Parents expected results to guide prescribing and perceived the greatest utility in results that could impact current care. Results predicting normal drug metabolism may create mixed feelings. Conclusion: Parents perceive utility in pharmacogenomic testing for their children. Challenges exist in understanding probabilistic and multifactorial information about pharmacogenomic results.