Nursing students’ genomics literacy: Basis for genomics nursing education course development

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the genomics literacy of Finnish and Filipino nursing students as a basis for developing a genomics nursing education course. This is a cross-sectional online survey using the 31-item Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory, IBM SPSS version 27, and item-analysis. A total of 245 nursing students participated in the study; 75% reported that they had not completed any genetics-genomics courses. The GNCI scores ranged from 2 to 31 total correct answers out of a total possible score of 31. The GNCI mean score of the Finnish cohort (9.53; SD = 3.48; 36% correct) was significantly lower compared to the Filipino cohort (16.21; SD = 9.74, 58% correct). These results show that the genomics literacy of nursing students in Finland and the Philippines is weak, particularly in human genome homogeneity and genotype-phenotype association concepts. We recommend designing effective genetic and genomic educational programs and updating the nursing curricula.