Including ethical considerations in models for first-trimester screening for pre-eclampsia
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Recent efforts to develop reliable and efficient early pregnancy screening programmes for pre-eclampsia have focused on com-bining clinical, biochemical and biophysical markers. The same model has been used for first-trimester screening for fetal aneuploidies i.e. prenatal diagnosis (PD), which is routinely offered to all pregnant women in many developed countries. Some studies suggest combining PD and pre-eclampsia screening, so women can be offered testing for a number of conditions at the same clinical visit. A combination of these tests may be practical in terms of saving time and resources; however, the combination raises ethical issues. First-trimester PD and pre-eclampsia screening entail qualitative differences which alter the requirements for disclosure, non-directedness and consent with regard to the informed consent process. This article explores the differences related to the ethical issues raised by PD and pre-eclampsia in order to elucidate which factors are relevant to deciding the type of information and consent required in each context from the perspec-tive of the ethical principles of beneficence and autonomy. Furthermore, it argues that ensuring respect for patient autonomy is context dependent and, consequently, pre-eclampsia screening and PD should be performed independently of one another.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Reproductive BioMedicine Online |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 5 |
Pages (from-to) | 638-643 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 1472-6483 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
ID: 106690455