It is Time: A Commentary on “An Exploration of Genetic Counselors’ Needs and Experiences with Prenatal Chromosomal Microarray Testing”

Excerpt

In “An Exploration of Genetic Counselors’ Needs and Experiences with Prenatal Chromosomal Microarray Testing,” Bernhardt et al. (2014) investigated the use of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in prenatal diagnosis from a unique vantage point—that of the genetic counselor. CMA is just one of the growing number of options for patients on the prenatal screening/diagnosis “menu.” As these options increase, inevitably comes the risk for uncertain results. Through examining the experiences of genetic counselors who have counseled patients about uncertain prenatal microarray results, Bernhardt et al. (2014) concluded that genetic counselors are interested (and need) education and training on how to manage these uncertain results. While I emphatically agree, I find myself wondering if this call is of broader significance—a need to better adopt, train/educate and support the counseling within genetic counseling. …