Understanding PRS: What Healthcare Experts and Patients Really Think

Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) are tools that help estimate someone's genetic risk for certain diseases. As researchers work to use PRS in real-world healthcare settings, a lot of attention is being paid to how medical professionals, patients, and the public feel about it. A recent study looked at many different studies to find out what people think. They found three main points. First, not everyone knows much about PRS and what it means for patients. Second, people have different reasons for wanting to know their PRS and have mixed feelings about getting the results. Lastly, people have different views on when and how PRS should be used, and what the benefits and drawbacks are. Healthcare workers often struggle to understand PRS, but talking with a genetic counselor helps patients understand their results. Importantly, how people feel about PRS depends a lot on where they live, what disease they're talking about, and social factors. This means that healthcare settings need to be tailored to fit different needs.