Strategies for Genomic Medicine Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Abstract

Implementing genetic and genomic medicine is dependent to a large extent on the successful training of a genomics workforce with expertise in interpreting, communicating, and integrating genomic information in a clinical setting. In order to effectively implement genomic medicine at different levels of healthcare delivery, strategies for establishing training in core competencies of genetics and genomics targeted at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development levels need to be in place. Several approaches have been adopted in Western countries like the UK and USA to ensure that their healthcare workforce is adequately trained and competent to effectively use genetic and genomic information in their professional practice. However, this is not the case in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) located in regions of East Asia and the Pacific, Central and South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, with a gross national income of $1,026–$3,995. In many of these countries, this necessity has been plagued by numerous challenges stemming from the lack of local capacity to plan and carry out the required training of the healthcare workforce. The other contributory factors are the scarcity of adequate funding for training as well as establishing core facilities needed for delivering these services around which such training programs could be implemented and delivered (Sirisena and Dissanayake, 2018). Herein, we provide a concise overview of the various challenges faced in achieving genomic literacy for integrating genomic medicine into the healthcare setting in LMICs and potential strategies for overcoming such limitations.