On the other hand, people who were not satisfied with their experience had doctors that were most likely to disagree with the results.
For example, one customer’s doctor said she doesn’t believe in direct-to-consumer genetic testing. “I sent the results from (23andMe) to her and she never looked,” said the customer. “She told me it wasn’t needed and not to believe the results.”
Dr. Wylie Burke, of the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington in Seattle, said professional societies for doctors could help the situation by appointing committees to evaluate evidence related to different kinds of direct-to-consumer tests.
Burke told Reuters Health by email that there is no evidence the information from these tests improves health outcomes.
And with common diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, “even though genetic risk plays a role, other factors, such as diet, activity level, whether or not one smokes, etc., are simply more important in determining risk,” wrote Burke, who co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study.
Green said patients should be prepared for a range of reactions from their doctors when they bring up direct-to-consumer genetic test results.
“I think it’s a good thing that patients want to bring this to their doctors,” he said. “I think doctors ought to be open to the conversations that could be stimulated by the information received.”
