Pharmacogenetics (PGx) testing enables health-care providers to personalize medications and dosages based on a patient’s genetic profile, improving treatment effectiveness and reducing side effects. Despite its clinical and economic benefits, PGx testing has not been widely adopted, which is partly due to challenges in standardizing how genetic test results are reported and integrating these results into electronic medical records (EMRs). Laboratories use different reporting formats, making it difficult for healthcare providers to access and interpret PGx data in a consistent and meaningful way.

The PGx-EFAIR project aims to address this issue by developing solutions to standardize and integrate PGx data into EMRs in Alberta and British Columbia. By collaborating with provincial governments, health authorities and industry partners, the project will create a unified format for reporting PGx test results, automate data standardization and establish machine-readable messaging protocols to ensure seamless integration with health-care systems. These efforts will allow PGx data to be easily shared and applied in clinical settings.

This initiative aligns with Canada’s Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap and legislative efforts such as Bill C-72, which focus on improving data exchange in healthcare. By building on existing digital health initiatives in Alberta and B.C., the project will ensure that PGx data is structured, accessible and interoperable across health-care systems.

The project will establish a standardized format for PGx test results, develop software to automate the translation of genetic test data and validate data exchange protocols for compatibility with EMRs. These advancements will improve the accessibility and usability of PGx data, accelerating its adoption in clinical care. While initially focused on Alberta and B.C., the project has the potential to serve as a model for integrating PGx testing into healthcare systems across Canada and internationally, supporting the broader adoption of precision medicine.