Community education to enhance the more equitable use of precision medicine in Northern Manhattan

Focusing screening and treatment to those most likely to benefit is the promise of precision medicine but inequitable distribution of precision medicine innovations may exacerbate health disparities. We investigated whether complex genomic concepts can be successfully communicated to diverse populations. Incorporating principles of Community-based Participatory Research, we created a precision medicine curriculum tailored to the needs of our predominantly Hispanic community. We administered the curriculum over 26 months, assessed pre- and post-test comprehension of 8 genetics-related terms, and compared comprehension differences based on demography and health literacy. In total, 438 individuals completed pre-/post-test assessments. At pre-test, 45.6% scored >= 75% across eight major constructs; 66.7% at post-test. Comprehension increased for 7/8 terms with greatest pre/post-test increases for 'mutation' (55% to 78%) and 'sporadic' (34% to 59%). Mean pre-test comprehension scores (>= 75%) were lower for Spanish versus. English speakers; mean post-test scores were equivalent. No heterogeneity by demographics or health literacy was observed. We demonstrate that a brief community educational program can improve knowledge of complex genomic concepts. Interventions to increase understanding of genomic concepts underlying precision medicine are key to patients making informed treatment and prevention decisions and may lead to more equitable uptake of precision medicine initiatives.