Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40130387›Full record

ArticleJournal of genetic counseling2025

Unveiling genetic counseling skills: Developing an online training course and analyzing counselor communication practices.

Deborah L Cragun, Mariah Volesky, Tanner Scott, David Cline, Nila Khan, Mason Holum, Elena Fisher, Amelia Richardson, Lou Clark, Kalli-Ann Binkowski and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of genetic counseling, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Deborah L CragunCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Mariah VoleskyDepartment of Genetic Counseling, M Health Fairview, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Tanner ScottDepartment of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Genetics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
David ClineCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Nila KhanDepartment of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Mason HolumDepartment of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Genetics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Elena FisherDepartment of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Genetics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Amelia RichardsonDepartment of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Genetics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Lou ClarkM Simulation, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Kalli-Ann BinkowskiResearch and Learning Technologies, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Asim ImtiazCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Heather A ZierhutDepartment of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Genetics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1941-664X

Funding

University of Minnesota
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite the pivotal role of communication skills in genetic counseling, communication strategies employed by genetic counselors in their current practice remain largely unexplored. The field of genetic counseling could benefit from updated simulated genetic counseling sessions conducted by genetic counselors illustrating a diversity of skills. This paper outlines the development and evaluation of updated simulations used to develop an online training course to identify genetic counseling skills and to assess how commonly these skills are used. Practicing genetic counselors in the United States were recruited to counsel trained standardized patients across six pretest and posttest simulated sessions in cancer, prenatal, and cardiology genetics settings. Sessions were coded using the novel Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist to identify which communication and counseling skills were utilized. Standardized patients were asked to provide session quality ratings and written feedback, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis, respectively. Results from 64 recorded sessions involving 20 counselors from a variety of training programs, racial and ethnic backgrounds, states of residence, and with varying years of clinical experience revealed utilization of a broad array of skills across specialty types and clinical indications. The total number of unique skills used varied widely from 12 to 49, with an average of 35.8 out of 56 possible skills checked per session. Differences in skill usage were observed between pretest and posttest sessions. Standardized patient comments were predominantly positive with a focus on information delivery and empathetic responses. Perceptions of areas of improvement were giving less information, having clearer delivery, and expressing more empathy. This work led to the creation of a training course showcasing various skills used by practicing genetic counselors, which summarizes commonly used skills and other promising but less frequently utilized ones.

Indexed as

CommunicationCounselorsGenetic CounselingHumanscommunicationcounseling techniqueseducationgenetic counselinggenetic counselorssimulationstandardized patients

Identifiers

PMID40130387
PMCPMC11934008

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.