First trimester screening in NI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Determining the preferred approach for early pregnancy screening for Down’s, Edwards and Patau’s syndrome in Northern Ireland
IRAS ID
346368
Contact name
Fionnuala Mone
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
In Great Britain (GB) pregnant women are offered a screening test in early pregnancy to assess the chance of having a baby with Down’s, Edwards' and Patau's syndrome. There are two approaches to screening. There are pros and cons to both approaches which involve a scan and different blood tests from the pregnant woman. There has been no evaluation, informed by the preferences of pregnant women and their partners nor of healthcare workers of which approach would be optimal with least impact on the healthcare system in NI.
In Northern Ireland (NI) women don’t have access to any early pregnancy screening, meaning their choices are limited and there is a significant negative impact on them, their families and the health service. It is important that NI, as a unique population, decides which approach works best with the resources available.
The aim of this study is to find out if women and their partners want screening and which is preferred screening approach for them and for healthcare workers. We aim to do this across all trusts in NI using questionnaires and then focused interviews for pregnant women/couples and healthcare workers to determine their opinions and preferences for screening. Based on their decisions about what they may do in hypothetical scenarios via an anonymous online questionnaire we can then calculate how either screening approach could impact the health service and then identify the best way to implement screening, and help identify barriers and facilitators for implementation.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0284
Date of REC Opinion
22 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion