Abstract | The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of advances in genome research and personalized genomics, and the implications for nursing research and practice relevant to children and families. Personalized genomics carries significant promise to improve health care. Current significant advances in genome research have been centered on cancer. As the cost of genome data are decreased significantly, it has been projected that genome data will become part of health care data, beginning with newborn populations in next 10 years. Genome related nursing research for children and families can involve aspects of bio-behavioral susceptibility, gene expression profile analyses, as well as epigenetics in developing children and families. Research on nursing interventions can target environmental influences on children and families, to design early interventions for vulnerable populations to reduce genome related disease risks and to improve health care outcomes. True collaborations among multi-disciplinary teams are required to improve the health care delivery for the best interests of the children, families, and future generations.
|