1. Refines Health Predictions
The medical field is replacing the one-size-fits-all version of health care with personalised diagnosis and treatment. Physicians can use your personal information — sex, genetic predisposition, ethnicity and age — to predict your well-being. A shift to proactive care is a massive deal for doctors and patients alike.
Most health assumptions are pretty general and might not fit various demographics. For example, around
65% of African Americans
in the United Kingdom felt doctors dismissed their health concerns based on their race or gender. The “go-to” treatments are sometimes outdated and too generalised.
Professionals can create more accurate health models by using a collection of personalised analytics gathered through precision medicine. They can positively impact patients using those over the more general predictions. Everyone can benefit from well-informed and complete care.
2. Increases Prescription Accuracy
A more accurate prescription is one of the biggest benefits of precision medicine. Usually, you have to go back and forth with your doctor to figure out what works. The first medicine may stop some symptoms but create more in the process. All the while, you’re still dealing with whatever sent you there in the first place.
With precision medicine, your doctor can get it right the first time. For example, physicians can use molecular diagnostics
to tell which drugs will work
for patients just by looking at their DNA. The minor differences in their genetic code reveal how well they’ll metabolise particular prescriptions. This kind of information was previously unknown, but medicine has advanced enough that it’s relatively easy to discover.
Everyone might react differently to the same pill, so why continue using generic methods? Your doctor can use pharmacogenomics to prescribe the best option once they find what works and what doesn’t. It gets you on your feet quicker and saves you from the trial-and-error type of care most people are accustomed to.
3. Supports Physicians
In part because of the pandemic, U.K. doctors faced incredibly high workloads. According to the British Journal of General Practise,
over 16% of general practitioners (GPs)
across 29 countries felt emotionally exhausted as of 2022. They typically see a high number of patients every day and feel they need more support.
For professionals in the medical field, some of the best benefits of precision medicine involve freeing up their time and reducing burnout. More often than not, patients return for the same issue. With things like pharmacogenomics, however, they can get the proper treatment the first time. Since the GP no longer has to see the same person for the same ailment over and over, they have a lot more free time.
They’ll likely feel better when they find solutions and get results quickly. It lets them move on to others in need and choose where to focus their attention. It streamlines health care interactions and is much more effective. On top of that, it benefits both parties.
4. Reduces Future Outbreaks
Physicians can use genomic sequencing
to learn more about infectious diseases
and prevent future outbreaks. They can identify what’s making everyone sick and determine the best fix. While genetic anomalies don’t typically cause pandemics, precision medicine could inform physicians about connections between particular genetic variants and treatment possibilities.
There are even government projects for this sole purpose. For example, Genomic England gathered over 85,000 National Health Service (NHS) patients to sequence over 100,000 genomes. Around
18.5% of the data
it collected turned into real-world action. The point of doing so was to emphasise the importance of precision medicine, improve research and help the participants find answers.
5. Provides Intervention Opportunities
In a perfect world, you could predict who would get what ailment and prevent it from happening years in advance. Precision medicine is the closest the medical field has got to that ideal. With predictive gene testing, patients can know if they carry any diseases.
The NHS offers such testing to eligible individuals. It provides genetic counselling and information sessions before treatment.
You might still carry “the gene” for a disease even if it isn’t necessarily inheritable. For example,
some people may have faulty variants
of the ones that protect against cancer development. With personalised testing, you can know if you have any.
A positive result doesn’t mean you’ll develop anything for sure — it just helps you understand your body better. You can pay attention to signs of the disease and head back for care as soon as you recognise something. It also allows you an opportunity to change your lifestyle or go through with medical intervention before you get sick — potentially prolonging your life.
While genetic predispositions don’t cause all cancers, early intervention can prevent many. In fact, around
79% of lung cancer
cases that occurred in the U.K. were preventable. Precision medicine can’t tell patients when they’ll get sick before it happens, but it can inform them about the chances. It can catch anomalies and help them make more informed health decisions in the future.
Precision Medicine Improves Health Care
The benefits of precision medicine apply to doctors and patients. Accurate diagnosis, treatment, and intervention can innovate how people seek care and create a healthier society.