Page 231 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

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and on institutional review boards to ensure
Genetics that patients’ rights are duly protected. In
addition, they are leaders in providing evi-
dence-based personalized health care that
The genomic era of health care began in April recognizes the importance of genetics and
2003, with the completion of the sequencing genomics for individual health promotion
of the human genome. The human genome while at the same time being careful that
uses four proteins: adenosine, cytosine, gua- genomic information is placed in perspective
nine, and thymine that replicate indefinitely. with other individual, familial, and environ-
This double helix is the basis of DNA and, mental attributes.
along with RNA, which substitutes uracil
for thymine, makes up approximately 20 Judith A. Lewis
different amino acids. These amino acids
regulate all bodily functions. Clinicians can
determine the risks of transmitting herita-
ble conditions to offspring and can use the Grandparents raisinG
principles of genetics to further understand
complex multifactorial somatic conditions Grandchildren
such as diabetes and heart disease. Nurses
are expected to apply the core competen-
cies (Consensus Panel on Genetic/Genomic In the United States, there are 2.5 million
Nursing Competencies, 2006) in all clinical grandparents who are responsible for the
settings. These competencies are relevant basic needs of the grandchildren who live
regardless of the educational preparation, with them (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008b). Of
clinical setting, or level of practice of the pro- these caregivers, 1.6 million are grandmoth-
fessional nurse ers and 896,000 are grandfathers. According
Nurses are key players in genetics and to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 6 mil-
genomics research. Nurses are involved in lion or 8.4% of children live with nonparental
biobehavioral clinical research, basic sci- relatives, a 173% increase since 1970 and a
ence research, and translational research in 78% increase since 1990 (U.S. Census Bureau,
all areas of genetics and genomics. They also 2001). Nationally, there are an estimated
have been at the forefront of research that 963,000 children younger than 18 years liv-
examines the ethical legal and social implica- ing under the primary care of grandparents,
tions of the Human Genome Project. Nurses in parent-absent households (U.S. Census
are principal investigators on dozens of Bureau, 2005). This phenomenon impacts
NIH-funded studies in genetics research. all racial and economic groups; however,
Nurses are involved in translating the African American and low-income grand-
implications of the genomic era of health parents are disproportionately represented
care to patients and their families. They (Bailey, Letiecq, & Porterfield, 2009; Minkler
serve on scientific review committees & Fuller-Thomson, 2005). Although children
designed to evaluate the state of the science are raised by grandparents for a plethora of