Sarah Wordsworth & James Buchanan – Translating Genomic Tests into Clinical Practice in the UK NHS
Translating genomic tests into clinical practice in the UK NHS: Is the health economics evidence base there yet? Evidence is emerging that the use of genomic tests may improve the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disease, leading to better health outcomes for individuals with cancer or a rare disease. However, demand is increasing for evidence on the incremental costs and health outcomes associated with these technologies compared with current practice to ensure that they are not merely an expensive and inefficient add-on to current clinical practice. In this presentation we will consider what health economic evidence is likely to be required to support the translation of genomic tests into clinical practice. We will then provide examples of the evidence that is currently available, describing UK studies that have estimated the cost of genomic testing and quantified stakeholder preferences for these tests. We will conclude by considering future opportunities for evidence generation, in particular the use of ‘big data’ from initiatives such as the 100,000 Genomes Project.