Ensuring Best Practice in Genomic Education and Evaluation: A Program Logic Approach.

Nisselle A1,2,3, Martyn M2,3,4, Jordan H5, Kaunein N2,5, McEwen A6, Patel C7, Terrill B1,8,9, Bishop M10, Metcalfe S1,2,3, Gaff C1,2,3.

Author information

1: Australian Genomics Health Alliance, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
2: Genomics in Society, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
3: Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
4: Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
5: Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
6: Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
7: Genetic Health Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
8: Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
9: St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
10: Genomics Education Program, Health Education England, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Targeted genomic education and training of professionals have been identified as core components of strategies and implementation plans for the use of genomics in health care systems. Education needs to be effective and support the sustained and appropriate use of genomics in health care. Evaluation of education programs to identify effectiveness is challenging. Furthermore, those responsible for development and delivery are not necessarily trained in education and/or evaluation. Program logic models have been used to support the development and evaluation of education programs by articulating a logical explanation as to how a program intends to produce the desired outcomes. These are highly relevant to genomic education programs, but do not appear to have been widely used to date. To assist those developing and evaluating genomic education programs, and as a first step towards enabling identification of effective genomic education approaches, we developed a consensus program logic model for genomic education. We drew on existing literature and a co-design process with 24 international genomic education and evaluation experts to develop the model. The general applicability of the model to the development of programs was tested by program convenors across four diverse settings. Conveners reported on the utility and relevance of the logic model across development, delivery and evaluation. As a whole, their feedback suggests that the model is flexible and adaptive across university award programs, competency development and continuing professional development activities. We discuss this program logic model as a potential best practice mechanism for developing genomic education, and to support development of an evaluation framework and consistent standards to evaluate and report genomic education program outcomes and impacts.