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Qualitative
Women offered prenatal screening had varying responses on becoming candidates for higher risk status

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.9.4.123

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    Heyman B, Hundt G, Sandall J, et al. On being at higher risk: a qualitative study of prenatal screening for chromosomal anomalies. Soc Sci Med 2006;62:2360–72.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    Q What are pregnant women’s perspectives on becoming candidates for higher risk status, living with this status, and exiting from it when chromosomal abnormalities are ruled out?

    DESIGN

    Qualitative study.

    SETTING

    2 hospitals in suburban London, UK. 1 hospital provided second trimester screening (standard site) whereas the other provided first trimester screening (innovative site).

    PARTICIPANTS

    27 women at different stages of pregnancy. 17 women were primiparas, and 5 were >34 years of age.

    METHODS

    Purposive sampling after pre-screening interviews with midwives resulted in women being categorised into 1 of 5 potential pathways: screening declined (n = 5), screened at lower risk (n = 14), screened at higher risk but declined diagnostic testing (n = 2), received a diagnostic test (n = 5), or miscarried before screening (n = 1). Women discussed their experiences of the screening and diagnostic process during multiple in-home interviews (total 51) that occurred at different stages of pregnancy. Interview data and consultation recordings …

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    Footnotes

    • For correspondence: Dr B Heyman, St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery, City University, London, UK. B.heyman{at}city.ac.uk

    • Source of funding: ESRC/MRC Innovative Health Technology Programme.