UK clinicians' knowledge of and attitudes to the prenatal diagnosis of single gene disorders

• Published in: Journal of medical genetics 1992-01, Vol.29 (1), p.20-23
• Main Authors: Firth, H V, Lindenbaum, R H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioethics; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical Competence; cystic fibrosis; Cystic Fibrosis - diagnosis; Duchenne's muscular dystrophy; Female; Genetic Diseases, Inborn - diagnosis; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Huntington Disease - diagnosis; Huntington's chorea; Management. Prenatal diagnosis; Medical sciences; Muscular Dystrophies - diagnosis; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Prenatal Diagnosis; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 0022-2593; 1468-6244; 1468-6244
• DOI: 10.1136/jmg.29.1.20

Postal questionnaires were sent to 308 clinicians in the UK (general practitioners, obstetricians, clinical geneticists, neurologists, paediatricians, and paediatric neurologists) to assess their knowledge of, and attitudes to, the prenatal diagnosis of three common single gene disorders, Huntington's disease (HD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Replies received numbered 213, a response rate of 69%. Overall, 95% of responding clinicians thought that offering prenatal diagnosis for the three test conditions was often or always appropriate. There was a correlation between the clinicians' estimates of life expectancy and their willingness to offer prenatal diagnosis (p less than 0.01). Among the non-geneticists questioned, fewer than 50% of general practitioners answered correctly regarding the availability of prenatal tests.