Cultural enhancement of a clinical service to meet the needs of indigenous people; genetic service development in response to issues for New Zealand Maori

Clin Genet. 2008 Feb;73(2):132-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0004.2007.00943.x. Epub 2007 Dec 29.

Abstract

The delivery of good health care services within clinical settings is predicated by an understanding of the needs of the stakeholders. Most of the information generated to date on the transfer of mutational analysis to clinical service has been within a Eurocentric model favouring individual autonomy. It is predictable that this model does not easily translate for other cultures. Current genetic technology has elucidated the molecular basis of many diseases. In familial cancer and other late-onset disorders, there is now the possibility of 'prediction' where a high risk conferred by family history can be confirmed or negated by genetic testing. In paediatric disorders, prediction is offered in the form of prenatal or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. We report on the processes undertaken in an attempt to provide a culturally sensitive service for the Maori people of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cadherins / genetics
  • Child
  • Cultural Competency*
  • Genetic Counseling / ethics
  • Genetic Diseases, Inborn / ethnology
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease / ethnology
  • Genetic Privacy
  • Genetic Services / organization & administration*
  • Health Services, Indigenous / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Informed Consent
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander / genetics*
  • New Zealand
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Pilot Projects
  • Stomach Neoplasms / ethnology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / genetics

Substances

  • Cadherins