Perspectives of potentially eligible Indigenous Māori on a lung cancer screening programme: a qualitative study.

Aims: Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer, globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand, where it disproportionately affects Māori. We aimed to understand Māori perspectives on lung cancer screening in Aotearoa New Zealand to guide its equity-focussed implementation, including identifying enablers and barriers.

Methods: We took a Kaupapa Māori based co-design approach to inform future screening, recruiting Māori current/ex-smokers and members of their whānau (family) for three focus group phases held in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand in August 2019.

Retrospective survey of colposcopy experience for wāhine Māori across two time periods (2016 and 2021) in Waitematā and Auckland districts, New Zealand.

Aims: To examine wāhine Māori experiences of colposcopy services in New Zealand based on surveys conducted in 2016 and 2021.

Methods: The surveys included a total of 201 wāhine Māori who had attended one of the three colposcopy clinics in the Waitematā and Auckland districts. Participants were retrospectively surveyed about their experience via telephone using a pre-tested questionnaire.

Applying the practice-based competencies to evaluate and characterize the contracting process within genetic counseling sessions.

Contracting is a skill used by genetic counselors (GCs) to establish a shared vision for the session. Ensuring that patients and GCs are aligned on expectations for the encounter allows GCs to meet patient needs and support patient autonomy. Although contracting is described in the practice-based competencies (PBCs), the process has not been systematically observed in practice.

Commonalities and contrasts: North American program directors' perspectives on genetic counseling education.

There is currently a gap in the literature regarding education by and for genetic counseling (GC) students and genetic counselors. Since little is written about current strategies used in GC graduate programs, we conducted a qualitative semi-structured interview study of North American GC program directors to learn about their educational goals and practices. We recruited 25 program directors from the United States and Canada through the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors for interviews using a video conferencing platform.

Defining orienting language in the genetic counseling process.

We defined orienting language in genetic counseling sessions as 'language intended to direct focus to a particular aspect of the counseling process; a physical, emotional, or cognitive space; or an outcome'. This is a concept expanding on the idea of 'orientation' statements in the genetic counseling literature. We propose that orienting language is an important component of effective communication in the genetic counseling process.