GPs and their practice staff have been asked to evaluate a pioneering new resource aimed at helping them make decisions about patient genetic issues.

Genomic notes for clinicians – GeNotes – has been developed by Health Education England and is now to be extended to primary care. It will enable clinicians to decide when to refer patients for genomic testing. GPs can now test the tool and then give feedback to Health Education England. Within oncology and paediatrics, clinicians have already given GeNotes a 90% usability score, Health Education England said.

The project’s primary care adviser Dr Jude Hayward said: “As genomic testing continues to be embedded within clinical care, particularly in rare disease and cancer, our primary care colleagues need quick access to concise, focused information about referral routes and clinical management. In developing GeNotes, we have fine-tuned the resources to offer just the information a busy clinician needs at the point of patient care. Our user research is an important component to help us make further improvements before we roll out the service more widely across primary care.”