Making a case for genomics in chiropractic education

Objective To determine if an existing course in genetics should be revised to refocus on the topic of genomics and its impact on health and primary care, a survey of chiropractors was conducted regarding genomics and patient care. Methods A short survey was designed to ascertain chiropractors' knowledge and use of genomics in their practices, particularly regarding direct to consumer genetic testing. Nine closed-ended questions and 2 open-ended questions were included. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate relationships between close-ended responses. Content analysis was conducted on the final open-ended question that queried respondents for further comments. Results There were 181 completed surveys returned. Patients do ask chiropractors about their own direct to consumer genetic testing results—42% indicated that they are approached by patients 1–3 times per month to discuss genetics/genomics. Knowledge of genomics varies among chiropractors, yet 51% feel that teaching genomics is moderately (31%) or extremely (20%) important. Conclusion An introductory course in clinical genomics is necessary to prepare a chiropractor for patient care.