Managing genetic tests, surveillance, and preventive medicine under a public health insurance system

Why prevent when it does not pay? Prevention when health services are credence goods

This article identifies information asymmetries and the corresponding problem of overtreatment as a possible source of prevention and health disparities when patients differ with respect to their health risk. It analyzes preventive health behavior (primary prevention) and preventive health-care utilization (secondary prevention) in markets in which patients cannot determine whether they receive excessive secondary preventive treatment-that is, where health services are credence goods. The problem of overtreatment in such markets is considered as a possible pathway through which differences in health risk lead to disparities in primary and secondary prevention as well as the corresponding health outcomes. Patients with high health risks do not invest in primary prevention, because they anticipate to be provided with unnecessary secondary prevention. Patients with lower risks invest in primary but not in secondary prevention, resulting in health losses. Furthermore, when societal groups differ with respect to their exposure to overtreatment, and we consider socioeconomic status as a possible reason, we observe disparities in primary and secondary prevention as well as the resulting health outcomes, including the "social gradient." Several implications for empirical research are discussed.

Predictive, Personalized, Preventive and Participatory (4P) Medicine Applied to Telemedicine and eHealth in the Literature

The main objective of this work is to provide a review of existing research work into predictive, personalized, preventive and participatory medicine in telemedicine and ehealth. The academic databases used for searches are IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science and ResearchGate, taking into account publication dates from 2010 up to the present day. These databases cover the greatest amount of information on scientific texts in multidisciplinary fields, from engineering to medicine. Various search criteria were established, such as ("Predictive" OR "Personalized" OR "Preventive" OR "Participatory") AND "Medicine" AND ("eHealth" OR "Telemedicine") selecting the articles of most interest. A total of 184 publications about predictive, personalized, preventive and participatory (4P) medicine in telemedicine and ehealth were found, of which 48 were identified as relevant. Many of the publications found show how the P4 medicine is being developed in the world and the benefits it provides for patients with different illnesses. After the revision that was undertaken, it can be said that P4 medicine is a vital factor for the improvement of medical services. It is hoped that one of the main contributions of this study is to provide an insight into how P4 medicine in telemedicine and ehealth is being applied, as well as proposing outlines for the future that contribute to the improvement of prevention and prediction of illnesses.

The Impact of Receiving Predictive Genetic Information about Lynch Syndrome on Individual Colonoscopy and Smoking Behaviors

BACKGROUND

This study investigated whether receiving the results of predictive genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, indicating the presence or absence of an inherited predisposition to various cancers, including colorectal cancer, was associated with change in individual colonoscopy and smoking behaviors, which could prevent colorectal cancer.

METHODS

The study population included individuals with no previous diagnosis of colorectal cancer, whose families had already identified deleterious mutations in the mismatch repair or EPCAM genes. Hypotheses were generated from a simple health economics model and tested against individual-level panel data from the Australasian Colorectal Cancer Family Registry.

RESULTS

The empirical analysis revealed evidence consistent with some of the hypotheses, with a higher likelihood of undergoing colonoscopy in those who discovered their genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer and a lower likelihood of quitting smoking in those who discovered their lack thereof.

CONCLUSIONS

Predictive genetic information about Lynch syndrome was associated with change in individual colonoscopy and smoking behaviors but not necessarily in ways to improve population health.

IMPACT

The study findings suggest that the impact of personalized medicine on disease prevention is intricate, warranting further analyses to determine the net benefits and costs. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(11); 1524-33. ©2016 AACR.