Primary care provider practices, attitudes, and confidence with hereditary cancer risk assessment and testing: A mixed methods study

Purpose: This study sought to better understand primary care providers' (PCPs) readiness to conduct population-based risk assessment and offer genetic testing for hereditary cancer.

Methods: Sixty PCPs completed a survey assessing their current practices, attitudes, and confidence with cancer risk assessment and testing. Sixteen participated in follow-up interviews. Descriptive statistics are presented and supported by qualitative data.

Results: Providers preferred direct questioning over standardized screening tools. In interviews, providers said they are not ordering cancer-risk genetic testing even when it might be appropriate. Ninety-eight percent agree testing is important to clinical care, but 73% agree that it could negatively impact patients. Ninety percent were willing to offer targeted testing, but only 68% were willing to offer population-based risk assessment. Confidence performing different behaviors necessary in a cancer risk assessment varied, with only 32% confident responding to questions specifically related to genetic testing.

Conclusion: Providers are willing to offer genetic testing, but unlikely to do so because they lack confidence in genetics-specific skill areas. Unsystematic approaches to family history screening and fears about follow up complexity may exacerbate health disparities. Interventions to increase provider confidence in ascertaining and managing hereditary cancer are needed to achieve widespread adoption of population-based risk assessment and guideline-recommended genetic testing.