Are pregnant women making informed choices about prenatal screening?
OBJECTIVE
Prenatal screening should enable pregnant women to make informed choices. An informed decision is defined as being based on sufficient, relevant information and consistent with the decision maker's values. This study aims to assess to what extent pregnant women make informed choices about prenatal screening, and to assess the psychological effects of informed decision-making.


METHODS
The study sample consisted of 1159 pregnant women who were offered the nuchal translucency measurement or the maternal serum screening test. Level of knowledge, value consistency, informed choice, decisional conflict, satisfaction with decision, and anxiety were measured using questionnaires.


RESULTS
Of the participants, 83% were classified as having sufficient knowledge about prenatal screening, 82% made a value-consistent decision to accept or decline prenatal screening, and 68% made an informed decision. Informed choice was associated with more satisfaction with the decision, less decisional conflict (this applied only to test acceptors), but was not associated with less anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the rate of informed choice is relatively high, substantial percentages of women making uninformed choices due to insufficient knowledge, value inconsistency, or both, were found. Informed choice appeared to be psychologically beneficial. The present study underlines the importance of achieving informed choice in the context of prenatal screening.
van den Berg
Matthijs
M
Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Timmermans
Danielle R M
DR
Ten Kate
Leo P
LP
van Vugt
John M G
JM
van der Wal
Gerrit
G
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000523:psychology*; D009426:Netherlands; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires