Category: Genetics
Poster Session IV
With a national shortage of genetic counselors, prenatal care providers deliver the majority of patient counseling on genetic testing options in pregnancy. Standardized counseling is a challenge for providers with limited time, deficient knowledge regarding testing options, and lack of patient educational tools considerate of low health literacy. Previous literature on providers’ barriers to giving prenatal genetic counseling is limited and potentially outdated, as it has not accounted for rapid advancements in technology.
Study Design:
An anonymous cross-sectional REDCap survey was emailed to prenatal care providers at an academic institution regarding: knowledge of prenatal genetic aneuploidy testing, confidence in counseling skills, and barriers to adequate counseling. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses to “What would be your hope/wishes for an educational tool for patients surrounding prenatal genetic testing?” was performed.
Results:
35 prenatal providers completed the survey (response rate 59%). Respondents were advanced practice providers (9%), general Ob/Gyn attendings (20%), Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists (23%), and Ob/Gyn residents (49%). Median reported minutes spent counseling was 4.5 min with 80% answering they felt they spent too little time on genetic counseling. 63% of respondents could not correctly identify ACOG recommendations, yet 48% expressed “feeling confident” or “extremely confident” in their answers. The barriers to counseling included time constraints, health literacy, lack of a visual aid, and language barriers (Table 1). Notable gaps in provider knowledge included cost of testing and privacy of genetic results. Qualitative responses highlighted a desire for a visual aid in multiple languages (Table 2).
Conclusion:
There are knowledge gaps and barriers to providing prenatal genetic counseling among prenatal care providers. Future directions include development and assessment of prenatal genetics educational tools to supplement counseling.
Margaret Thorsen, MD
Physician
Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
Providence, RI, United States
Rose Mahoney, BS
Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Franklin Enemuo, MBBS, MPH
Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Huda B. Al-Kouatly, MD
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Melissa L. Russo, MD (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island, United States