NHMRC Informational Resources for Health Professionals
The public expects high quality health services provided by appropriately trained, skilled and knowledgeable health professionals. This is particularly relevant to human genetics because new discoveries occur on a daily basis. NHMRC has developed a number of genetics information resources for health practitioners to help ensure the quality provision of care to individuals and their families.
Medical Genetic Testing: information for health professionals - Link to the NHMRC publications page, where the information paper is available for download. For use by health professionals involved in genetic testing. The paper identifies key issues that should be considered in relation to genetic testing, and identifies relevant resources, guidelines, standards, and requirements that are pertinent for the delivery of genetic testing in Australia.
Clinical Utility of Personalised Medicine - Personalised medicine is the capacity to predict disease development and influence decisions about lifestyle choices or to tailor medical practice to an individual. This includes targeted drugs and treatments based on a detailed understanding of the genetic basis of disease. In addition to the promise of improved patient care and disease prevention, personalised medicine has the potential to lower the ever increasing cost of health care.
Biobanks Information Paper (PDF, 857KB) - Biobanks are large collections of human biological materials (biospecimens) linked to relevant personal and health information, held specifically for use in health and medical research. NHMRC developed this paper to provide information relevant to the establishment, management and governance of biobanks in Australia.
GEMS - Genetics in Family Medicine: The Australian Handbook for General Practitioners 2007 - Rapid advances in genetics have led to the need for general practitioners to better understand and provide information and referrals on genetic conditions to patients and their families. Recognising this, the Australian Government developed GEMS as a national educational resource on genetic medicine for Australian general practitioners.
Inquiry into the protection of human genetic information - Link to page on the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) website about the joint inquiry into the protection of human genetic information completed in 2003 by the Australian Health Echics Committee (AHEC) and the ALRC.
NHMRC Guidelines (genetics related)
NHMRC approved guidelines are developed per the requirements legislated by the NHMRC Act (1991). These requirements ensure that the guidelines reflect the best available evidence and are developed in consultation with the public. The following clinical practice guidelines have been developed by external organisations with the support of the NHMRC. They provide the best available evidence to guide clinicians and consumers in the provision and delivery of health care.
Breast cancer
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Early Breast Cancer
- Clinical practice guidelines for the Management and Support of Younger Women with Breast Cancer
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Advanced Breast Cancer
Colorectal cancer
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention, Early Detection and Management of Colorectal Cancer
Familial aspects of cancer
Ovarian cancer
Psychosocial support
Privacy
Regulation
NHMRC Genetics Research
NHMRC currently funds a variety of research on genetics and health. The links below include a dataset capturing research on genetics and health research funded by NHMRC - a number of projects and researchers of which have been featured in NHMRC’s Best.