Date of Award

5-2019

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

First Advisor

Russell Kauffman

Keywords

anxiety, pharmacogenomic testing, anxiety management, first-line anxiety treatment

Abstract

Anxiety affects approximately three to seven percent of the United States population, and nearly 50% of the diagnosed patients fail to respond to first-line treatment regimens (Boland, Duffy, & Meyer 2018). Traditional first-line treatments include medication therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or the combination of both. With such a high initial failure rate, recent studies indicate promising results in managing anxiety with pharmacogenomic testing. Pharmacogenomic testing is allowing providers to prescribe medication based on individual genetic makeup, focusing on how each patient metabolizes certain medications. The purpose of this literature review was to determine if first-line methods or pharmacogenomic testing provide patients with more prompt symptom relief. Through a review of several electronic databases and articles, pharmacogenomic testing is yielding promising results in symptom relief, decreasing healthcare costs, and increasing healthcare efficacy. Not only is pharmacogenomic testing promising for anxiety management, it also gives insight to several other medication classes. With this information, pharmacogenomic testing may soon be a screening tool in future medicine.

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