Evaluation of a prenatal screening decision aid: A mixed methods pilot study

Abstract

Background: We developed a decision aid (DA) to help pregnant women and their partners make informed decisions about prenatal screening for trisomy. We aimed to determine its usefulness for preparing for decision-making and its acceptability among end-users.

Methods: In this mixed-methods pilot study, we recruited participants in three prenatal care settings in Quebec City. Eligible women were over 18 and more than 16 weeks pregnant or had given birth recently. We asked them about the usefulness of the DA using an interview grid based on the Technology Acceptance Model. We performed descriptive statistics and deductive analysis.

Results: Thirty-nine dyads or individuals participated in the study. Mean usefulness score was 86.2 ± 13. Most participants found the amount of information in the DA just right (79.5%), balanced (89.7%), and very useful (61.5%). They were less satisfied with the presentation and the values worksheet and suggested different values clarification methods.

Conclusion: Rigorous pilot tests of DAs with patients are an important stage in their development before the more formal assessments that precede scaling up the DA in clinical practice.

Practice implications: The next version of the DA will integrate the suggestions of end-users for better decision-making processes about prenatal screening for trisomy.

Keywords: Acceptability; Decision aid; Down syndrome; Features; Partners; Pregnant women; Prenatal screening; Shared decision making; Usefulness for preparing for decision-making.