Scientific evidence indicates that pharmacogenetics − the study of drug interactions with an individual's genetic makeup − may improve patient safety.
Pharmacogenetic testing for some medications adds genetic information to the usual considerations of patient age, weight, disease process, use of other medications, health behaviors and environment.
The additional information gained from pharmacogenetics can help physicians and nurse practitioners choose and dose medication that best meets the needs of the individual patient.
Benefits of Pharmacogenetics
Pharmacogenetics uses molecular testing to analyze certain genes. A pharmacogenetic test can predict how a patient will metabolize a drug, allowing the clinician to adjust dosages for individual patients to get maximum efficacy from a drug with minimum side effects.