Assessing pharmacogenomic literacy in China through validation of the Chinese version of the Minnesota Assessment of Pharmacogenomic Literacy

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) implementation into clinical care is rapidly increasing in China. However, the extent to which the public understands PGx testing and important knowledge domains requiring patient education or counseling remains unclear. To address this, we created and validated the Chinese version of the Minnesota Assessment of Pharmacogenomic Literacy (MAPL‐C(TM)). The MAPL‐C was developed by translating the English MAPL to Chinese following cross‐cultural translation guidelines. An online survey validated the MAPL‐C and assessed Chinese individuals' PGx literacy. Validation analyses were performed and associations of PGx literacy with participants' characteristics were quantified. Of 959 high‐quality responses, the majority of respondents were Han Chinese (96.3%), men (54.5%), aged 18–29 years (70.9%), residing in China (97.3%), and had received college or higher education (95.0%). Out of 15 starting items developed to query specific predefined knowledge domains, two uninformative items were excluded, resulting in a 13‐item MAPL‐C. Chinese participants' MAPL‐C performance was best explained by a three‐factor model, encompassing PGx concepts and function, testing limitations, and privacy. Higher MAPL‐C performance was associated with younger age, higher education, and previous genetic testing experience. Correct response rates for questions related to testing limitations were lower than those in other domains. The creation and validation of the MAPL‐C fills a gap in determining PGx knowledge among Chinese speakers, quantifying PGx literacy within a Chinese cohort, and identifying response patterns and knowledge gaps. The MAPL‐C can be useful in clinical practice to guide patient counseling, assess PGx education interventions, and quantify PGx knowledge in relation to outcomes in research studies involving Chinese participants.