A text messaging-based approach to communication could provide a convenient avenue for patients to access genetic counseling.
Today, the dominant model for a patient to access genetic counseling is through referrals in a hospital system, but there’s a growing market of companies — such as DNAvisit and Genome Medical — that sell a range of telehealth options directly to consumers, said Rachel Mills, an assistant professor in the genetic counseling program of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the corresponding author on the paper. She suggested that messaging-based services, in particular, could open the door for more convenient access to genetic counseling for consumers who otherwise may not have sought out such services.