University of Michigan develops GIFT toolkit to enhance family communication on genetic testing

A group of researchers from the University of Michigan have developed an educational toolkit to help patients with cancer discuss genetic testing results with their families, according to a news release.

The virtual resource, Genetic Information and Family Testing (GIFT), showed promising results when tested on 414 participants who have survived cancer and “carried a pathogenic variant.”  According to Michigan Medicine, “The intervention randomized two factors: online only vs. human navigator and free or $50 testing.”

Key findings:

• About 20% of enrollees invited family members to participate in the trial. Nearly one third of them enrolled. GIFT has a functionality where patients can invite at-risk family members to receive educational material, decision aid, and genetic testing access.
• Human intervention did not result in higher enrollment.
• Participants were more likely to follow through with genetic testing when it was free.

The researchers are currently working to add an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant to the platform “to personalize the genetic risk information and improve communication between patients and family members.”