Prenatal testing technologies in Australia: Unintended clinical and emotional complexities in underprepared systems

Belinda Johnson, Pieta Shakes and Chris Maylea

Social Science & Medicine, 2024, vol. 361, issue C

Abstract: The past decade has seen technological advances in prenatal screening technologies rapidly integrated into clinical practice. These technologies have revolutionised healthcare and raised complex socio-ethical issues such as equitable access, medical commercialisation, and new eugenics. However, the important issue of the impact of these technologies on healthcare professionals is receiving less attention. Exploring this issue in the Australian context, we conducted a survey from August to November 2022, targeting health and allied health professionals who work with parents in the perinatal period who have received a fetal diagnosis. We received 75 substantive responses from a diversity of professionals, including sonographers, midwives, genetic counsellors and medical providers.

Keywords: NIPT; Prenatal screening; Australia; Unintended consequences; Emotional labour; Burnout; Prenatal diagnosis; Psychosocial impacts; New health technologies; Healthcare training (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117368

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