Offering antenatal sickle cell and thalassaemia screening to pregnant women in primary care: a qualitative study of GPs' experiences

Abstract

Background: Timely antenatal sickle cell and thalassaemia (SC&T) screening for all women in primary care facilitates informed decision making, but little is known about its implementation.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of offering antenatal SC&T screening in primary care at the time of pregnancy confirmation.

Design of study: Cross-sectional investigation of GPs' beliefs and perceived practices.

Method: Informal face-to-face interviews with 34 GPs.

Setting: Seventeen inner-city general practices that offered antenatal SC&T screening as part of a trial.

Results: GPs identified both barriers and facilitators. Organisational barriers included inflexible appointment systems and lack of interpreters for women whose first language was not English. Professional barriers included concerns about raising possible adverse outcomes in the first antenatal visit. Perceived patient barriers included women's lack of awareness of SC&T. Hence, GPs presented the test to women as routine, rather than as a choice. Organisational facilitators included simple and flexible systems for offering screening in primary care, practice cohesion, and training. Professional facilitators included positive attitudes to screening for SC&T. Perceived patient facilitators included women's desire for healthy children.

Conclusion: GPs reported barriers, as well as facilitators, to successful implementation but the extent to which screening could be regarded as offering 'informed choice' remained fundamental when making sense of these barriers and facilitators.