Getting the Message Across: Communication With Diverse Populations in Clinical Genetics

Communicating with patients about genetic concepts is fraught with complications. In addition to the hazy takeaway messages and the likelihood of peripheral findings, the diverse cultural backgrounds of patients in a genetics clinic present another layer of challenge for clinicians and genetic counselors in their aim to communicate important findings effectively and respectfully.

This book provides practical advice to assist genetic counselors, geneticists, and other health professionals wanting to engage appropriately with different clients from different communities -- patients who are hearing and/or visually impaired, patients with diverse sex development or religious backgrounds, and those who are available only through interpreter or telephone consultation. With chapter-based practical entries on effective communication with these and other diverse population groups, this volume is an invaluable pocket tool for clinicians and counselors to effectively get the message across.

Jennifer Wiggins is a registered genetic counselor (UK) who has worked in clinical genetics services for 17 years. She has specialised in both pre-natal and cancer genetics. She has been the Vice-Chair of the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counselors and is a mentor and assessor for the Genetic Counselor Registration Board (UK and ROI) and is currently a senior genetic counselor at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Anna Middleton has had two parallel careers, the first as a registered genetic counselor working in various regional clinical genetics services in the UK and the second as a social scientist exploring the ethical implications of genetic and genomic technologies. She has a PhD in Genetics and Psychology and is currently working as an Ethics Researcher at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK. She has been the Vice-Chair of the Genetic Counselor Registration Board and on the editorial board for the Journal of Genetic Counseling (US).