Maternal Serum Screening in Newfoundland and Labrador

Lead Researcher and Department
Dr. Maria Mathews, Dept. of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University

Collaborators and Students
Jonathan Cavanagh, Dept. of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University

Summary
Maternal serum screening (MSS) is a prenatal test done to determine a pregnant woman’s risk of carrying a fetus with Down syndrome, trisomy 18, or an open neural tube defect.

Performing the test on all pregnant women means more invasive diagnostic tests can be offered more selectively and rates of detecting problems can be increased substantially.

In 2002 The Provincial Medical Genetics Program of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) introduced a MSS program. A cross-sectional survey of 182 family physicians was conducted between September 2003 and November 2003.

The aim of this study was to examine family physicians’ practice of, attitudes towards, and knowledge about MSS and to compare the demographic and practice characteristics, attitudes, and knowledge of physicians who offer MSS to some or none of their pregnant patients.

The results of the study showed that more then half the family physicians in NL offered MSS to all their pregnant patients, and a third offered it to some patients. Physicians’ practice was not related to their attitudes towards or knowledge about MSS.

This is of particular interest to this province because at the time when the MSS program was introduced NL had the highest incidence of neural tube defects in Canada.

Dates
2003

Keywords
Maternal Serum Screening, Maternal Health, Prenatal Screening, Physician Practices, Genetic Test

Locations
St. John's
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Avalon Peninsula
Zone 19 - Northeast Avalon

Industry Sectors
Health Care and Social Assistance
Health Research and Development Laboratories (Professional, Scientific and Technical Services — Scientific Research and Development Services — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering and Life Sciences)

Thematic Categories
Maternal health (Health)
Genetic Screening (Health)

Departments
Faculty of Medicine (STJ)