Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Genetic Counseling
First Advisor
Meg Keating
Abstract
Purpose: Patients referred for genetics services have specific barriers decreasing accessibility, such as communication difficulties, long wait times, and misconceptions about the utility of genetic testing. We assessed a new tailored service delivery model used by the Greenwood Genetic Center to evaluate patients referred for hearing loss to determine if this model increases access to genetics services for individuals with hearing loss. Methods: Data points such as wait times, testing plan, and diagnostic yield were compiled from patient medical records. Comparison and analysis of data was completed by visit type, in-person, virtual, and electronic visits (eVisits), between October 2023 – January 2024 and October 2024 – January 2025. Results: Time constraints led to limited data collection. Initial data showed lower wait times, higher percentage of patients with testing indicated, and higher diagnostic yield for hearing loss patients seen by eVisits. Conclusion: Initial data collected assessing the accessibility and utility of a new tailored service delivery model for patients referred for genetics evaluations of hearing loss showed that eVisits may increase accessibility to genetic services for this patient population. Additional data collection is needed to further evaluate eVisits as a tailored service delivery model for individuals with hearing loss who are referred for a genetics evaluation.
Rights
© 2025, Ansley Roberts
Recommended Citation
Roberts, A.(2025). Utilizing Evisits to Increase Access to Genetic Services for the Hearing Loss Population: A Tailored Service Delivery Model. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8323