They work with patients to decide when genetic testing is appropriate, interpret test results and counsel families on the ways hereditary diseases might impact them. A trusting relationship is key.
Only about half the people with Alzheimer's symptoms get a diagnosis, partly out of fear of an incurable decline, doctors suspect. But Jose Bolardo says facing the future allows him to plan for it.
Most women with breast cancer say they want testing to know if they carry BRCA gene mutations that increase cancer risk, but only around half of women at high risk actually get tested.
A study offering the parents of newborns a scan of thousands of the baby's genes raises a big question: Do you want this kind of information on disease risk in your child's permanent record?
Doctors worry that requiring patients to see a separate genetic counselor will keep them from getting tested for mutations that significantly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
