Previous work at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, demonstrated a need for genetic counseling (GC) services, with 4% of pediatric, neonatal intensive care, and prenatal patients identified as having indications for genetic evaluation (Quinonez et al, 2019). The aim of this study was to investigate SPHMMC patients' familiarity with, knowledge of, and attitudes toward GC services. Surveys were adapted from previous work in North America populations (Riesgraf et al, 2015 and Gemmell et al, 2017) and administered to 102 patients, and results were compared to North American populations using Student's t test. 30% of respondents reported at least some familiarity with GC, primarily via the media or healthcare providers. Patients had generally positive attitudes toward GC, reporting they would trust information provided by a genetic counselor and that GC is in line with their values. Knowledge of GC showed similar trends overall when compared to results from North American populations. Our work indicates limited exposure to GC in this population, but generally positive feelings toward GC. Patients' attitudes toward GC were comparable to rural North American populations surveyed using the same tool on most items; however, cultural differences including views on abortions and directiveness of healthcare providers could account for discrepancies and are important considerations when implementing genetic services globally.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴一家大型医院患者遗传咨询的知识和态度

埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴圣保罗医院千禧医学院 (SPHMMC) 之前的工作表明需要遗传咨询 (GC) 服务，4% 的儿科、新生儿重症监护和产前患者被确定为有遗传评估的适应症（奎诺内斯等人，2019 年）。本研究的目的是调查 SPHMMC 患者对 GC 服务的熟悉程度、知识和态度。调查改编自之前在北美人群中的工作（Riesgraf 等人，2015 年和 Gemmell 等人，2017 年）并对 102 名患者进行了调查，并使用 Student's t 将结果与北美人群进行了比较测试。30% 的受访者表示至少熟悉 GC，主要是通过媒体或医疗保健提供者。患者普遍对 GC 持积极态度，表示他们会信任遗传咨询师提供的信息，并且 GC 符合他们的价值观。与北美人群的结果相比，GC 知识总体上显示出类似的趋势。我们的工作表明，该人群对 GC 的接触有限，但总体上对 GC 持积极态度。患者对 GC 的态度与在大多数项目上使用相同工具进行调查的北美农村人口相当；然而，文化差异（包括对堕胎的看法和医疗保健提供者的指导性）可能会导致差异，并且是在全球实施遗传服务时的重要考虑因素。