Women’s Perception of Information and Experiences of Nuchal Translucency Screening in Greece

Abstract

Objective: First trimester ultrasound (US) screening has become part of antenatal care. The aim of this study was to explore pregnant women’s perceptions of the information given and experiences of first trimester nuchal translucency (NT) screening and to identify the background factors in a woman’s biography that influence her information needs and experiences of NT screening. Methods: This study was a descriptive, prospective survey which involved collecting information from the participants by using a questionnaire and took place in a public hospital in Athens. The sample consisted of 510 consecutive, unselected pregnant women of gestational age between 11 and 14 weeks, who had attended a nuchal translucency (NT) screening. Results: The majority of women felt that they had received either a limited or intermediate amount of information about the US screening and stated that they would have liked to receive more information. However, most of them (98%) answered that their expectations were fulfilled. 82% felt that the US examination was a positive experience, while 16% felt that US examination was a stressful experience. Furthermore, higher rates of positive experiences were observed among women with a higher educational level and greater satisfaction with the information received (χ²_(d.f.=6) = 29.411, p = 0.000, χ²_(d.f.=3) = 30.171, p = 0.000 respectively). Most women had wished to undertake NT screening to ensure that the fetus was healthy and without any defects and believed that a US examination should be performed at every antenatal visit. Conclusion: This study shows that most women lack information, specifically about the purposes and the diagnostic limitations of NT screening. Health professionals should therefore dedicate more time to discussing with women, and provide appropriate and understandable information tailored to the educational level of women and should emphasize the indications, purposes and limitations of US screening.

A survey of the awareness, use and attitudes of women towards Down syndrome screening

“…A study in Athens similarly showed that most women did not have much knowledge, specifically about the purposes and the diagnostic limitations of NT screening (Gourounti et al . ).…”

“…PST include first‐trimester screening [nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound with or without testing of the mothers’ blood] and second‐trimester screening (triple test) (Gourounti et al . , Sahin & Gungor , Pieters et al . ).…”

A survey of worries of pregnant women: Reliability and validity of the Greek version of the Cambridge Worry Scale

“…the possibility of something going wrong with the baby), possibility of miscarriage, the issue of birth and financial issues were the major worries for Greek pregnant women. The prevailing worry about the baby's health may be attributed to prenatal screening (Gourounti et al, 2008;Petersen et al, 2009). This finding was in agreement with the findings of previous studies (Statham et al, 1997;Georgsson Ö hman et al, 2003;Petersen et al, 2009;Carmona Monge et al, 2010).…”

Evaluation of Knowledge and Attitude of Pregnant Women About Double and Triple Tests Performed in a University Hospital

“…For this reason, scre- ening tests with reliable results should be performed at an early stage in pregnancy. We aimed to identify an anomalous baby at an early stage with the help of the combined screening tests (weeks [11][12][13][14], the triple screening tests (weeks [15][16][17][18][19][20], noninvasive advanced ultrasonographic examination and invasive tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. The advancements in biochemical markers and imaging technologies have enabled us to detect fetal chromosomal abnormalities in the early weeks of pregnancy [2][3][4] .…”

“…The choice of test depends on the obstetric assessment protocols of the region or country, and on the demographical and sociocultural features of the women 12,13 . This study was planned to evaluate the pregnant women's knowledge, thoughts and attitudes about noninvasive tests used for the detection of fetal chromosomal abnormality risk in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.…”