Human genetics education in Ecuadorian medical schools compared to the United States: a cross-sectional study

With significant advances in medical genetics understanding and practice, primary care providers are being increasingly called on to incorporate genetic testing and interpretation into their practices. However, they largely feel unprepared to do so, and this is largely due to inadequate training. International research suggests that current medical education is insufficient to prepare physicians to keep up with advancements in the field of genetics. While this seems to be a global problem, we lack data about medical education in many countries. Thus, we aimed to assess Ecuadorian medical students’ genetics knowledge and attitudes and compare them to students in the United States. We used a cross-sectional study design to collect exploratory data from medical students in Ecuador along with U.S. undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. We compared their performance on the Genetics Literacy Assessment Instrument and their self-reported learning of knowledge and capability of skills found in the Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Family Medicine Residents in Medical Genetics. Ecuadorian medical school students scored lower on the Genetics Literacy Assessment Instrument than all U.S. student groups, yet they were more likely to self-report that they had learned about genetics knowledge than U.S. medical students. We found no differences by school year in the Ecuador data, but first-year medical students scored lower than upper classmen in the U.S. data. Based on our data, medical school students in Ecuador exhibit lower levels of human genetics literacy than U.S. medical students. The mismatch between their demonstrated knowledge and self-reported learning of recommended knowledge is perplexing and requires further inquiry. We discuss the importance of intentional effort to improve medical genetics education in Ecuador.