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Show March Of Dimes Develops Guidelines For Genetic Services Field . .yowniwiow.-. ....... i f KARYOTYPING. Geneticist, Dr. Laird G. Jackson, and genetics assistant, assist-ant, Dianna linn, construct a karyotype of a patient's chromosomes at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia. These charts of the tiny threadlike bodies in cell nuclei which govern inheritance are used in diagnosis of certain genetic disorders. . by Arthur J. Salisbury, M.D. Vice President for Medical Services The National Foundation-March Foundation-March of Dimes Can you imagine trying to build a house without blueprints? blue-prints? An army of workers with a mountain of materials couldn't do the job properly without plans to guide them. A similar situation exists today in the rapidly expanding expand-ing field of genetic services the application of scientific knowledge to prevent inherited inher-ited diseases. Every day more health professionals are getting get-ting involved, new and improved im-proved diagnostic techniques are being developed, and services serv-ices are becoming more widely available. Hut without guidelines guide-lines to coordinate these developments, de-velopments, efficiency and quality are sure to sutler. Promote Orderly Growth As a leader in the expansion expan-sion of genetic services, The National Foundation-March of Dimes has taken steps to promote orderly growth of this new branch of medicine. A March of Dimes advisory committee of ten prominent geneticists from around the country has drawn up a comprehensive com-prehensive set of guidelines for its development. The Foundation uses these guidelines to evaluate services provided at some 70 genetics programs we fund throughout the United States. Genetic services, which started taking shape in the mid-1950s, include diagnosis of inherited disorders, referral for treatment when possible, and counseling to families and individuals known or suspected sus-pected to he at risk for heritable heri-table birth defects. The effect is to enable people peo-ple to understand and cope with birth defects that have already occurred and to make informed decisions about future fu-ture childhearing. Three Levels of Service In the last ten years, knowledge knowl-edge gained from research into hereditary defects has grown rapidly. It is now time to translate this information into medical services. The Foundation advisory committee commit-tee estimates that only about a quarter of the national need for genetic services is met. The panel's guidelines call for genetic services to be organized or-ganized on three levels: Level 1, comprising care in physicians' offices, clinics, or other health facilities. Level 11, services centered in community hospitals and offer ing more extensive resources re-sources for evaluation. Level 1 1 1, consisting of comprehensive com-prehensive genetic centers located lo-cated in university-affiliated teaching hospitals, providing a full range of diagnosis, counseling, and treatment. Responsibility for assuring optimum care must rest with specially trained physicians. Although other health professionals profes-sionals can and must play important im-portant rok'S in the delivery of genetic services, only a qualified quali-fied specialist has the clinical training and knowledge of genetics needed for comprehensive compre-hensive care of families affected af-fected by heritable disorders. Noisy people wonder why anyone desires to he quiet. Ik JtohH)k r-V. ikHtk.W KSvL tetebk. ri |
