Genomic competence among nurses: A spotlight on ethics

Abstract

Background: Globally, ethics is recognized as a critical component for ensuring equitable and sustainable genomic healthcare. However, prior research has largely overlooked the ethical aspects when assessing nurses’ genomic competence. Research aim: This study aimed to assess the genomic competence of nurses in Finland, with a specific focus on their perspectives regarding ethics in genomics. Research design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among registered nurses in Finland. Participants and research context: The data were collected via an online survey between October 30 and December 31, 2023, using the Canadian Adaptation of the Genetics Genomics Nursing Practice Survey (GGNPS-CA), which evaluates attitudes, receptivity, confidence, competency, knowledge, social systems, and the decision adoption process in genomics with ethical dimensions. A total of 234 registered nurses participated. Ethical considerations: The study was ethically approved by the Ethics Committee of the Tampere Region, statement number 46/2023. Results: While 76.8% of nurses rated their self-assessed understanding of genomics as poor, their actual Knowledge Score was relatively good (mean 9.12/12, SD 1.44). In addition, nurses reported limited understanding of the ethical issues associated with genomics, particularly concerning equity. The majority (59.4%) believed it was very important for nurses to become more educated on ethical issues, while 28.6% considered it somewhat important. Conclusions: The findings suggest a strong perceived need among nurses for further education in both genomics and its ethical implications. The discrepancy between self-assessed and actual knowledge may reflect low confidence, which was additionally reported in the ethical issues. Low confidence is possibly influenced by the early stage of genomics integration into nursing practice.