Obstetric professionals’ perceptions of non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome: clinical usefulness compared with existing tests and ethical implications

Background: While non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal aneuploidy is commercially available in many countries, little is known about how obstetric professionals in non-Western populations perceive the clinical usefulness of NIPT in comparison with existing first-trimester combined screening (FTS) for Down syndrome (DS) or invasive prenatal diagnosis (IPD), or perceptions of their ethical concerns arising from the use of NIPT. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 327 obstetric professionals (237 midwives, 90 obstetricians) in Hong Kong. Results: Compared to FTS, NIPT was believed to: provide more psychological benefits and enable earlier consideration of termination of pregnancy. Compared to IPD, NIPT was believed to: provide less psychological stress for high-risk women and more psychological assurance for low-risk women, and offer an advantage to detect chromosomal abnormalities earlier. Significant differences in perceived clinical usefulness were found by profession and healthcare sector: (1) obstetricians reported more certain views towards the usefulness of NIPT than midwives and (2) professionals in the public sector perceived less usefulness of NIPT than the private sector. Beliefs about earlier detection of DS using NIPT were associated with ethical concerns about increasing abortion. Participants believing that NIPT provided psychological assurance among low-risk women were less likely to be concerned about ethical issues relating to informed decision-making and pre-test consultation for NIPT. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the need for political debate initially on how to ensure pregnant women accessing public services are informed about commercially available more advanced technology, but also on the potential implementation of NIPT within public services to improve access and equity to DS screening services

Blended Learning in Anatomy Teaching for Non-Medical Students: An Innovative Approach to the Health Professions Education

Purpose: Anatomy is a basic science for health professions curricula. Recent research suggests that the innovative blended learning approach (classroom learning plus use of online learning) outperforms conventional didactic teaching by facilitating effective learning. This study explores the feasibility of adopting blended learning in anatomy teaching and evaluates the learning experiences of students. Method: Courseware called electronic Professional Study (ePS) was developed and used for teaching anatomy of the cardiovascular system for non-medical students. ePS composed of three condensed, recorded course lectures, revision guides, and gamified quizzes. These were placed on the Web platform for students to watch before didactic lecture. Scheduled class periods were dedicated to participating in active-learning exercises. By the end of the academic semester, the courseware evaluation was implemented using a set of 5-point Likert scale questions. The e-questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of Year-2 full-time undergraduate students majoring in pharmacy enrolled in an introductory course in anatomy and physiology. Multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationship between courseware usage and examination results. Results: All enrolled students (n = 53) completed and returned the questionnaire. About 38% used the courseware less than ten times during the semester, and 7.5% never used it. e-Questionnaire shows that a majority agreed that the courseware content was clearly presented and easy to navigate. Multiple regression shows that courseware usage did not contribute significantly to the performance. Conclusions: Blended learning was perceived positively by most students. However, no effect on learning could be established. Keywords: Anatomy, Health profession education, Micro-module, Medical education, e-learning Courseware, Gamification, Hong Kon

Public and Healthcare Provider Receptivity toward the Retention of Dried Blood Spot Cards and Their Usage for Extended Genetic Testing in Hong Kong

Dried blood spot (DBS) cards from newborn screening (NBS) programs represent a wealth of biological data. They can be stored easily for a long time, have the potential to support medical and public health research, and have secondary usages such as quality assurance and forensics, making it the ideal candidate for bio-banking. However, worldwide policies vary with regard to the duration of storage of DBS cards and how it can be used. Recent advances in genomics have also made it possible to perform extended genetic testing on DBS cards in the newborn period to diagnose both actionable and non-actionable childhood and adult diseases. Both storage and secondary uses of DBS cards raise many ethical, clinical, and social questions. The openness of the key stakeholders, namely, parents and healthcare providers (HCPs), to store the DBS cards, and for what duration and purposes, and to extended genetic testing is largely dependent on local cultural–social-specific factors. The study objective is to assess the parents’ and HCPs’ awareness and receptivity toward DBS retention, its secondary usage, and extended genetic testing. A cross-sectional, self-administrated survey was adopted at three hospitals, out of which two were public hospitals with maternity services, between June and December 2022. In total, 452 parents and 107 HCPs completed and returned the survey. Overall, both HCPs and parents were largely knowledgeable about the potential benefits of DBS card storage for a prolonged period and its secondary uses, and they supported extended genetic testing. Knowledge gaps were found in respondents with a lower education level who did not know that a DBS card could be stored for an extended period (p p = 0.033), and could aid public health research, and future policy implementation (p = 0.030). Main concerns with regard to DBS card storage related to potential privacy breaches and anonymity (Parents 70%, HCPs 60%). More parents, compared to HCPs, believed that storing DBS cards for secondary research does not lead to a reciprocal benefit to the child (p p < 0.001). Our findings report positive support from both parents and HCPs toward the extended retention of DBS cards for secondary usage and for extended genetic testing. However, more efforts to raise awareness need to be undertaken in addition to addressing the ethical concerns of both parents and HCPs to pave the way forward toward policy-making for DBS bio-banking and extended genetic testing in Hong Kong