Genetic database developed for GP support
- 7 March 2005
GPs could soon have automatically-updated ‘virtual laboratories’ of genetic medicine available for reference during consultations, thanks to a project being coordinated by the University of Aviero in Portugal.
INFOGENMED scrapes genetic databases on a daily basis and outputs information about numerous conditions in order to support GPs in making decisions support. Trials of the system focusing on treatment and detection of genetic diseases received a positive response, according to the project managers.
Antonio Sousa Pereira, co-ordinator of the project, said: "We found that many general practitioners did not know an information system such as this could be created, and many had little understanding of genetic medicine, which is a relatively new field stemming from initiatives such as the Human Genome Project.
"A doctor can input a patient’s condition, and the system will obtain all relevant information about it, from the genes that may contribute to causing it to the symptoms and possible treatments. All this data is presented in the form of a flowchart, allowing the doctor to review all aspects of the patient’s condition and thereby assisting the doctor in offering personalised care."
"This is our little contribution to genomics," Sousa Pereira added, saying that many doctors found the system helpful in receiving up-to-date information about treatment of genetic disorders.
A proposition for the European Commission is being planned this month in order the help develop the system for the healthcare industry. The original project was also funded by the European Commision’s Information Society Technologies programme.
Links
