Knowledge, Attitude, Future Expectations, and Perceived Barriers of
Medical Students and Physicians Regarding Pharmacogenomics in Jordan
Abstract
Background: Pharmacogenomics (PG) is a modern tool of personalizing
treatment protocols to improve the efficacy and safety of drug
prescriptions. These benefits are offset by a slow uptake in clinical
application due to a host of physician factors, patient factors, and/or
health system factors. Our study, thus, aimed to determine the
knowledge, attitude, future expectations, and perceived barriers of
medical students and physicians in Jordan regarding PG testing. Methods:
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between
February-August 2019. Physicians and senior medical students from
academic and non-academic institutions in North Jordan (n=424) were
surveyed. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was designed and
piloted for the purpose of the study. A scoring system for each
dimension assessed was calculated and presented using means. Mean scores
were compared by sociodemographic and professional variables. Results:
The response rate was 70.7%. The mean total PG knowledge score (±SD)
was 5.42 (±1.51) out of 10, with a significantly higher mean among
respondents aged ≥30 years (5.21 ± 1.62) compared to those <30
years-old (5.54 ± 1.43; p= 0.03). The mean total PG attitude score was
21.18 (±2.58) out of 24, with significant differences by seniority
levels evident (p= 0.03). The future expectations of PG among our sample
were high, with a mean score of 10.44 (±1.64) out of 12. The top three
perceived barriers in applying PG were the high cost, lack of clinical
guidelines, and limited knowledge and awareness. Conclusion: Physicians
and medical students in Jordan have low overall knowledge, albeit
strongly positive attitude and future expectations toward PG, despite
the perceived high cost and lack of clinical guidelines. Thus, we
strongly recommend adopting a comprehensive educational strategy that
aims to integrate PG concepts into medical curricula, and promote the
culture of continuous medical education about PG among practitioners.