ATTITUDES OF PHYSICIANS AND GENETICS PROFESSIONALS TOWARD CYSTIC-FIBROSIS CARRIER SCREENING

With the identification of the cystic fibrosis (CF) gene and its major mutations in 1989, there has been considerable debate among health pr ofessionals as to whether population-based carrier testing should be i nstituted. This paper presents the results of a survey to determine th e attitudes of physicians and genetics professionals toward CF carrier testing. Factors associated with differences in attitudes also were e xamined. A questionnaire was mailed to primary care physicians and psy chiatrists in 10 states who graduated from medical school between 1950 and 1985. For comparison, medical geneticists and genetic counselors in the same states also received the questionnaire. A total of 1,140 p rimary care physicians and psychiatrists (64.8%) and 280 medical genet icists and genetic counselors (79.1%) responded. Although 92% of respo ndents believed that a couple should be tested after asking about a te st that detected 80% of carriers, only 43.9% of respondents believed s uch a test should be offered routinely. Those specialists most Likely to have been involved in genetic services were most opposed to routine screening. The most important reason reported for opposition to routi ne screening was the consequences of an 80% detection rate. When prese nted with a hypothetical ''error-free'' test, 75.9% of respondents fav ored routine testing. Our findings suggest that there was little suppo rt for routinely offering the CF carrier test available at the time of this study among the physicians and professionals most involved in th e provision of genetic services. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.