Parent Education about Newborn Screening and Bloodspot Retention

The objective of this project is to address the content, timing, efficacy, and impact of prenatal education about newborn screening generally and bloodspot sample retention specifically. This project has the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1) To determine what pregnant women, young mothers, and their partners want to know regarding the retention and use of residual bloodspot samples ' Methods include 15 focus groups conducted in five states (NY, CA, UT, MN, WA). Specific Aim 2) To create multimedia educational tools to be used in the prenatal care environment that will provide basic information about NBS and the core information determined through Specific Aim 1 about residual sample retention and use. ' Methods include the development of state-of-the-art video, printed materials, and web-based tools Specific Aim 3) To determine the impact of the prenatal education tool on parental knowledge, attitudes, and decisions regarding NBS services and the retention and use of residual samples. 3a. To determine the impact on knowledge and attitudes about NBS and the retention of residual samples ' Women at 30 - 36 weeks gestation will be provided the educational interventions in the prenatal environment. 1. Intervention Group A will have education provided on the two topics (NBS education only and NBS education plus education on sample retention and use) at separate prenatal visits while Group B will receive this education at a single visit. 2. A control group will receive standard information that is provided to new parents in the OB and/or newborn nursery environments ' Participants will be surveyed at 3 - 6 weeks post delivery about their knowledge and attitudes about NBS and sample retention and use. ' A subset of partners (N=150) will be surveyed at 3 - 6 weeks post delivery regarding their knowledge and attitudes 3b. To determine the impact on parents' decisions regarding NBS services and the permission for sample retention ' Intervention versus control groups will be compared with respect to decisions to opt-out of the retention and use of NBS residual samples and refusals of NBS altogether. Specific Aim 4) To examine the normative/ethical implications of the results of SA 1 and SA3 for the conduct of state NBS programs. Recommendations on the content and timing of parental NBS education will be developed. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative Our broad objective is to improve parental knowledge about newborn dried bloodspot screening and the use of residual specimens. We will address the content, timing, efficacy, and impact of prenatal education about newborn screening and sample retention. In this project, we will compare new mothers' and their partners' knowledge and attitudes about newborn screening and residual specimens following an educational intervention for the mothers with the knowledge and attitudes of mothers in a control group who receive information routinely provided in the nursery environment. We also will evaluate the rate and reason parents opt out of newborn screening and retention of the residuals samples.