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Quick Reference Guide to the DISCERN Criteria

A good quality publication about screening and testing for a genetic condition will:

  1. Have explicit aims
  2. Achieve its aims
  3. Explain the background and effects of the condition
  4. Describe treatment and management choices for the condition
  5. Explain risk in simple terms
  6. Provide clear information about the nature of the test
  7. Describe the testing procedure
  8. Describe how accurate the test results are
  9. Explain what happens after the test
  10. State who will have access to the test results
  11. Provide support for shared decision-making
  12. Discuss issues of discrimination
  13. Acknowledge the psychosocial consequences of being tested for the condition
  14. Discuss the consequences of testing for the relatives and partner of the person being tested
  15. Provide details of additional sources of support and information
  16. Make sources of information explicit
  17. Make date of information explicit
  18. Be balanced and unbiased
  19. Provide information on local availability of services and test performance

This guide should only be used once you are acquainted with the full DISCERN Genetics tool