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Quality of patient information leaflets for D own syndrome screening: A comparison between the UK and T hailand
Author(s) -
Saiklang Parvinee,
Skirton Heather
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
nursing and health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.563
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1442-2018
pISSN - 1441-0745
DOI - 10.1111/nhs.12190
Subject(s) - medicine , quality (philosophy) , trisomy , family medicine , health information , information quality , health professionals , pregnancy , the internet , pediatrics , health care , world wide web , information system , biology , computer science , genetics , philosophy , engineering , epistemology , electrical engineering , economics , economic growth
Prenatal screening tests can help to estimate the possibility of a pregnant woman having a baby with trisomy 21 ( D own syndrome). As these tests are optional, it is essential that women are provided with appropriate verbal and written information to enable them to make an informed choice. In this study, we assessed the content and quality of D own syndrome screening information leaflets used by health professionals to provide information to pregnant women in the UK (26 leaflets) and T hailand (11 leaflets). We collected leaflets from health institutions and the Internet, and compared the topics covered in each one against recommendations for patient information on this topic. We also assessed the quality of each leaflet using the DISCERN Genetics tool. While the quality‐rating score of the UK leaflets was significantly higher than the T hai leaflets, none of the leaflets included all the recommended topics; some contained erroneous material. In both countries, the quality of information can be improved to provide accurate information to women and their partners, which is essential to ensure prospective parents can make informed choices during pregnancy.