Pharmacogenomics to optimise psychotropic prescribing: a survey of mental health professionals’ perceptions, knowledge, and educational needs

A survey was conducted to determine attitudes, knowledge, and educational needs of mental health professionals regarding pharmacogenomics. We recruited 128 clinicians working in mental health in England, and we assessed their experiences using an adapted version of the "U-PGx Clinician's Questionnaire". Responding clinicians had positive attitudes towards pharmacogenomics testing, although they lacked confidence in ordering and interpreting tests, for which most had never received any formal training. Only 6% of clinicians answered all 4 knowledge testing questions correctly, and barriers to clinical implementation included lack of familiarity and knowledge for several pharmacogenomics concepts, such as drug metabolism and genetics, as well as needing support from their working institution. Looking ahead, we found that accredited workshops and patient cases were preferred learning formats, and we suggest tailored education programmes to enable mental health professionals to apply pharmacogenomics in clinical practice.