Teaching efficacy of a medical education module on genetic testing for cancer

Abstract Background. With the identification of the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, clinical testing for detection of the mutated genes may be available in the near future. Primary care physicians increasingly serve as full‐service providers and gatekeepers and must be aware of presymptomatic testing in order to counsel their patients appropriately. To address this educational need, a new module was incorporated into the genetics course taken by first‐year medical students at the Medical College of Virginia. Methods. The module used small groups, led by genetics faculty and members of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, for discussion of case examples. The medical students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward cancer and predictive genetic testing were assessed by a pretest and a posttest. Results. After the module, knowledge scores increased by 27%, and significant changes were seen in the students’ attitudes toward issues such as the regulation of testing availability and the psychol...