Precision Medicine -- A Person-centric Approach to Health

Aug 26, 2016
What will it be like to integrate personal health information, patient-generated health data from devices and apps and genomic information on an individual basis?  Leading researchers envision a time in the not too distant future where this combination of data enables more precise diagnosis and treatment. Also, patients will be encouraged to share their data with researchers, both personal health data and genomic data. Many are interested in doing this to speed up research on a variety of conditions.
 
Part of the challenge of precision medicine is integrating genomic data into the electronic medical record. “Successfully integrating genomics into clinical care requires a vision, a strategy that will achieve the vision, and an actionable implementation plan.” By having genomic data in the same platform as other data about the patient, specific interpretations are made possible. “Demographic data may affect the prior probability of disease, informing genetic risk predictions. Medication lists and orders can identify pharmacogenetic applications. Family history remains an important element that in many cases provides superior risk estimates as compared with genomic risk factors.”
 
Consumers should welcome the move toward precision medicine as it will make diagnosis and treatment more person-centered. Also, it will enable them to participate more directly in research.