INCORPORATING GENETICS AND GENOMICS NURSING INTO CLIENT CARE

The burden of genetic diseases cuts across all continuums of care with its attendant economic, social, physical and psychological impacts on patients, families and their caregivers. Nurses remain the most easily accessible of all health care providers to the majority of persons who seek health care information in Nigeria. They are now expected to be aware of and provide information about various inherited disorders, as well as to recognize the numerous concerns associated with genetic testing. In order for people to benefit from widespread genetic/genomic discoveries, nurses must be competent to obtain comprehensive family histories and identify family members at risk of developing a genomic and genetic influenced conditions. Essentially all diseases and conditions have a genetic or genomic component. Options for care for all persons will therefore increasingly include genetic and genomic information along the pathways of prevention, screening, diagnostics, prognostics, selection of treatment, and monitoring of treatment effectiveness. Hence, it is vital for nurses to possess a fundamental understanding of genetic and genomic information. This paper provides an explanation for incorporating genetics and genomics nursing into client care. It discusses brief overview of genes, history and professional nurses responsibilities