Joanne Taylor

Best ethical practices for clinicians and laboratories in the provision of noninvasive prenatal testing.

The goal of this study is to provide an ethical framework for clinicians and companies providing noninvasive prenatal testing using cell‐free fetal DNA or whole fetal cells.

Knowledge, understanding, and uptake of noninvasive prenatal testing among Latina women

The aim of this study is to assess Latina patient understanding of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and identify what factors influence uptake/refusal to NIPT to adapt counseling to the needs and interests of this population.

Utilization of available prenatal screening and diagnosis: effects of the California screen program.

Objective:In 2009, the California Genetic Disease Branch introduced an aneuploidy screening program allowing Medi-Cal (state insured) patients access to state-sponsored first-trimester screening. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of greater access to prenatal screening on available resources at a single center.Study Design:Data of prenatal screening and diagnostic procedures performed 4 months before the introduction of the program were compared with those of 12 months following the introduction.Result:Between December 2008 and March 2010, 7689 women underwent first trimester screening, 1286 underwent amniocentesis and 398 underwent chorionic villus sampling. When a comparison was made between the 4 months before and the 12 months after the programs introduction, a greater number of nuchal translucency (NT) examinations was seen to have been performed (384 per month vs 513 per month, P=0.001). Prenatal diagnostic procedures did not increase, but a greater proportion was performed for positive screen results.Conclusion:Introduction of the California screening program was associated with increased NT procedures and fewer invasive procedures for advanced maternal age.

Patient preferences for prenatal testing of microdeletion and microduplication syndromes.

To assess pregnant womens preferences regarding prenatal testing for microdeletion and microduplication conditions, and to identify what factors might influence their decisions.