Taipei -- When 32-year-old ChiaChia (pseudonym under patient confidentiality) learned that her baby has hearing loss from the genetic testing report, she broke down and cried as she talked to a genetic counselor over the phone. The counselor calmed her down, explained the details of the report and urged ChiaChia to courageously proceed about proper follow-up treatment with the doctor. This phone conversation not only helped ChiaChia understand the genetic data implication, or how one can ask for help, most importantly it gave a mother strength to take up the challenge with her child.

Genetic Counselor helps you navigating through intricate world of genetic testing data.

Genetic testing is a type of medical test that helps would-be parents understand the health of fetus and assess the probability of risk to having a baby with genetic disorders. Physicians can also use the test results to determine treatment methods and medication for patients. However, with a wide range of tests available and the challenges in interpretation of the results, many patients found it difficult understanding the reports. As genetic testing becomes increasingly common today, the role of genetic counselors play as a bridge between medical genetics and the general public.

To become a genetic counselor, one is required to have specialized education in genetics, biomedicine, counseling, psychology and other relevant fields; complete practice in genetic counseling for two years; have clinical experience and complete internship at laboratories to become experienced in areas from antenatal counseling to genetic testing for cancer risks. Only by fulfilling the above requirements can an aspiring genetic counselor take tests to become certified /accredited. Under such tough criteria, there are only more than a hundred certified /accredited genetic counselors in Taiwan. These professionals are no doubt great assets in the genetic testing industry.

THE ONE-STOP SOLUTION to most assuring process throughout genetic testing.

A genetic counselors offers service from beginning to the later stages of genetic testing—— providing the comparisons of different tests, explaining steps of testing and interpreting the test results. If abnormalities are shown in the report, genetic counselors will also explain its possible implications to clients, further possibly make references to relevant social welfare resources. “We found that during the process of genetic testing, patients actually need lots of emotional and psychological support,” said Mei-Ya Fang(方美雅), genetic counselor at SOFIVA GENOMICS.

When HsiaoFeng (pseudonym under patient confidentiality) found something unusual with the eyes of her child, the doctor suggested her to have genetic testing for rare diseases. HsiaoFeng knew nothing about genetic testing and contacted SOFIVA GENOMICS. Knowing HsiaoFeng’s worries, the genetic counselor answered her questions and encouraged her to arrange treatment for her child. “I didn’t know how to deal with my child’s rare disease. Thankfully, the genetic counselor helped me understand what genetic testing for rare diseases was all about, now my child is being properly treated.”

Cheng-Miao Ou (歐承眇), another genetic counselor at SOFIVA GENOMICS, indicated that the uncertainty experienced while waiting for test results, and the panic experienced when learning about the diagnosis can all become very stressful. With specialized backgrounds in medical genetics and psychology, genetic counselors serve as a bridge between physicians and the general public. They not only help people through possible anxiety issues during report’s waiting process, patients also will be assisted /consulted by being provided with proper steps of follow-ups when the test results are abnormal.

How do we choose the right genetic testing?

Fang pointed out that most frequently asked questions usually includes the following, “How should I choose the tests I need or whom should I choose to conduct genetic testing?” From her own experience she mentioned most-inquired antenatal tests are Maternal Serum Screening for Down syndrome, Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening, and Chromosomal Microarray Analysis. The genetic counselor will explain in detail the procedures of each test, the duration and limitation, and assist clients to make right, informed decisions.

Dr. Chia-Cheng Hong (洪加政), General Manager of SOFIVA GENOMICS, states that genetic testing, though cannot be 100% accurate (nothing is ever 100% assurance), people can choose companies that offer most complete genetic database, advanced technologies, most comprehensive tests, follow-up counseling services, and last but not least, an International-accredited Taiwanese laboratory (ISO 17025) which follows utmost strict third-party regulatory audit to actively certify all servicing transparencies and ever-ending quest for future improvement, just to ensure that through transparent testing process, the highest caliber of test accuracy & swift turn-around time can be provided while reducing human-error impacts to lowest risk level. With certified /accredited genetic counselors by your side, no genetic code is too hard to decipher.