Effectiveness of Telegenetic Counseling for Patients and Families with Suspected Hereditary Cancer: A Systematic Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telegenetic counseling has attracted attention as a preventive measure against recent COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic review compared telegenetic counseling using videoconferencing versus face-to-face counseling in the hereditary cancer.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of telegenetic counselling using videoconferencing versus face-to-face counseling for people with suspected hereditary cancer.
Methods:
A comprehensive literature search was carried out in December 2021 using databases of the Japan Medical Abstracts Society, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and the Cochran Library. The eligibility criteria were studies in which RCTs or cluster RCTs were conducted on patients with suspected hereditary cancer and their families, comparing telegenetic counseling using videoconferencing with face-to-face genetic counseling. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias of each RCT study. This study was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA)
Results:
Two studies comprising a total of 206 participants were finalized and used for meta-analysis. Participants were individuals who lived in rural areas or in areas without genetic counselors who were suspected of having breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, multiple cancer and genetic cancer. The rate of genetic tests was significantly higher in the intervention group (Risk Ratio = 1.08: 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.49; I2 = 45%). Other outcomes were assessed in only one study and their effects could not be discussed explicitly. The risk of bias was high in both studies, with a high risk of performance bias, detection bias, and attrition bias.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrated that remote genetic counselling may increase the rate of post-counselling tests compared with face-to-face counselling. However, the evidence is limited because of the small number of RCT studies on telegenetic counseling and a high risk of bias. Further accumulation of studies is needed in the future.
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