The Role of Genomics - Essay Example

The role that genomics has been proven to play in disease, modern nurses commonly are responsible for eliciting at least three generations from patients (Consensus, 2008). Nurses play a critical role in the assessment of this information for use in preventative care, prognostics, selection of treatment, and treatment evaluation, necessitating a firm understanding of genomic principles. Nurses are an essential educational resource for patients unaware of genomic technologies. Nurses also serve as advocates for clients that may benefit from genomic services and for the rights of those clients to make autonomous, informed genomic and genetic-based decisions.

As part of the nursing assessment, genomics allows a nurse to establish risk factors based on a family history of the disease. Perhaps more importantly, however, the nursing assessment should include patient attitude and knowledge of genetic and genomic technologies that may be beneficial. This assessment will also allow other healthcare professionals to interact more effectively with the patients by understanding their biopsychosocial views and is critical in allowing patients to make informed decisions based on these new technologies. Read More