Introduction:
Genetic testing has become increasingly common in nephrology practice in developed countries, but its use remains limited in India. This study aims to explore the perspectives of Indian nephrologists on genetic testing.
Methods:
An online survey was conducted via SurveyMonkey and distributed to practicing nephrologists in India and North America.
Results:
Out of the 224 nephrologists surveyed, 174 respondents were from India, and 50 from North America (48 from the United States and 2 from Canada). The majority of respondents from both regions reported having ordered genetic testing in their practice (87% from India and 84% from North America; p=0.58). Among those who had ordered genetic testing, a significant proportion felt that it was clinically useful (97% from India and 93% from North America; p=0.23). The high cost of genetic testing was identified as the primary barrier by 90% of nephrologists from India, compared to 60% from North America (p<0.05). Interpretation of test results was also a major barrier to the widespread use of these tests among Indian nephrologists compared to their North American counterparts, with only 4% of nephrologists from India reporting high confidence in interpreting genetic testing results, compared to 16% from North America (p<0.05). Nephrologists from both India and North America shared concerns about the availability of testing resources (40% vs. 40%; p=1.00).
Conclusions:
Nephrologists in India view genetic testing as valuable for their clinical practice. There is an urgent need to improve the availability of testing resources and education in renal genetics in India.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.