Effects of an animated educational video on knowledge of cell-free DNA screening among pregnant women: A randomized control trial

Abstract

Background In middle-income developing countries, pregnant women had insufficient knowledge about cell-free DNA screening. Reports from developed countries have found that various tools in prenatal genetic counseling can improve the knowledge of pregnant women who undergo cell-free DNA screening. Data are limited from developing countries where women have different baseline socio-educational backgrounds. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of an animated educational video combined with traditional counseling versus traditional counseling alone in changing pregnant women’s knowledge of cell-free DNA screening. Methods This study was a randomized control trial at an antenatal clinic. Eligible subjects who were Thai pregnant women, were randomized to either view or not view the video explaining cell-free DNA screening. Both groups received traditional counseling. The women were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing knowledge of the screening before and after intervention. Primary outcome was the change in knowledge scores. Secondary outcomes were attitudes toward positive results, levels of satisfaction with counseling, and screening acceptance rates. Results Data from 83 women in the video group and 82 in the non-video group were analyzed. The knowledge score change after counseling was significantly higher in the video group than the non-video group (+ 7.1 ± 3.3 vs + 4.2 ± 2.5; p = 0.026). There were no significant differences in attitudes toward positive results (p = 0.187), levels of satisfaction (p = 0.28), or screening acceptance rates (p = 0.15) between the groups. Conclusions Adding the video to traditional counseling was better than traditional counseling alone in improving pregnant women’s knowledge about cell-free DNA screening.