Genetic Counseling Essay Sample

Genetic Counselling
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Genetic Counselling
Genetic counseling refers to the process where trained healthcare providers share information about the genetic basis of certain illnesses with clients who are at increased risk of hereditable diseases or passing them to the offspring (Itokawa et al., 2016). The process is achieved through a comprehensive assessment of medical records and history and ordering relevant genetic tests. It is prudent for healthcare professionals to refer patients for genetic counseling to discuss testing and diagnostic options with appropriate healthcare providers (Knipping et al., 2016). However, it is most practical to refer all prenatal patients to go for formal genetic counseling. Genetic counseling is an effective method for averting potential risk for hereditable diseases, but the process should be managed diligently to prevent adverse reactions by the patients.
Reasons For Genetic Counseling
Genetic counseling is conducted to help patients understand how familial medical conditions, congenital disabilities, and genes that run in the families can affect the unborn's family health. The approach is helpful in individuals with familial health conditions or whose pretest health indicators suggest that the unborn offspring could be at risk of hereditable health conditions (Feeney, 2019). Genetic counseling should be considered for individuals with one of the following risk factors; a heritable disorder that ha affected a close family member, amniocentesis results that show a chromosomal defect, and abnormal results from routine prenatal testing. Obstetricians should develop helpful strategies for providing counseling and primary pretest education to pregnant women.
Possible Reactions by the Patients and how to Deal with Negative Reactions
A significant adverse reaction for patients following genetic screening is a lack of acceptance of results and emotional outbursts following the need to make difficult choices and changes in behavior. This situation can be effectively dealt with if the healthcare provider remains calm and composed and maintains proper professional therapeutic and professional communication throughout genetic counseling.
Health
Genetic counseling is beneficial to population health as it enables couples and families to prevent avoidable hereditary diseases through effective screening based on genetic tests and medical history. The approach allows health professionals to identify possible risks to genetic diseases, gather and analyze inheritable patterns and family health history, calculate the risk for recurrence of genetic disorders, and advise the client accordingly by providing helpful information about genetic procedures and tests (Otokawa et al. 2016). Some of the established indications for genetic counseling include known teratogenic exposure, a known carrier of a genetic disorder, familial history of a suspected or known genetic condition, a fetal structural anomaly on prenatal ultrasound, consanguinity, abnormal screening test results such as cell-free DNA screening or traditional serum screening, recurrent pregnancy loss, and patient request for additional information following appropriate genetic tests.
Prevent...