A genetic report is what you and your healthcare provider receive after your genetic testing is completed – basically, it is a document that provides you with all the results. Genetic reports can come in different styles and formats, and unfortunately many of the current genetic reports are difficult for most people to understand because they contain a tremendous amount of confusing genetic lingo such as "genotype," "SNPs," "alleles," "odds ratios," and "heterozygous."
As Dr. Colby writes in chapter three of Outsmart Your Genes: "The genetic report shouldn’t leave you or your doctor wondering, “What the heck does that mean?" A well-written, concise, and uncomplicated report allows you both to efficiently process all the information it contains, with a specific focus on making all of its information actionable. Otherwise, no matter how advanced the genetic testing or how comprehensive the analysis, the results won’t do you any practical good."
Throughout Outsmart Your Genes, Dr. Colby not only advocates but also presents
a new type of Genetic Report that he developed with two specific goals in mind:
1) write it so that it is straightforward and easy to understand and 2) make
sure it empowers both the healthcare provider and the patient. He explains
that, "A genetic report does not need to contain any difficult terminology
whatsoever" and provides specific examples of how the genetic reports he uses
were developed to make the information understandable and empowering.
Below are additional examples of the groundbreaking Genetic Report that Dr. Colby has developed over the last four years.
Dr. Colby’s Genetic Report also contains a specific write-up for healthcare providers that informs them what diseases you are at risk for and the many potential preventive measures they can take to decrease that risk and, therefore, allow you to potentially avoid the disease altogether. As an example, we can now determine the dosing of specific medications so that they are most effective and least likely to have side-effects. If, based on the analysis of your DNA, you are found to require a specific dose of a medication, this information will be discussed in general terms in your genetic report (for example, by stating thatyou are sensitive to this medication and may require a lower starting dose) and in specific terms in the healthcare provider’s summary (for example, by stating the most optimal starting dose your physician might want to consider.) A concise example of the Healthcare Provider Summary is printed in Outsmart Your Genes. The Healthcare Provider Summary will also contain a full list of references for all the information contained within the entire report.
Click Here to view full pages from a sample genetic report.
Back to Learn More» |
