New Zealand - Report on Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening released by the National Screening Unit

Citation

(2007), "New Zealand - Report on Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening released by the National Screening Unit", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 20 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2007.06220fab.006

New Zealand - Report on Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening released by the National Screening Unit

New Zealand

Report on Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening released by the National Screening Unit

Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening in New Zealand 2007 is the result of work carried out by the Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening Advisory Group, which was convened as part of a review of the current practice of antenatal screening for Down syndrome undertaken by the National Screening Unit.

The Advisory Group unanimously agreed that the current practice of screening using only maternal age and/or nuchal translucency (NT), without biochemical markers is unsafe, inequitable, and should not continue. The Advisory Group made a number of recommendations for ways to improve the safety and quality for antenatal Down syndrome screening.

Advisory Group Chair Dr Paul Harper says current screening methods commonly used are not as reliable and accurate as other methods that are available. This results in too many women having diagnostic tests, and as these have a small risk of miscarriage (about 1 to 2 percent), pregnancies are being lost unnecessarily.

National Screening Unit Manager Karen Mitchell says the Advisory Group had a difficult task, given the wide range of views represented and the need to consider the technical, social and ethical issues of antenatal Down syndrome screening. The Minister of Health, Hon. Pete Hodgson, has requested further work to be carried out to look at how a nationally organised screening programme for antenatal Down syndrome could be implemented.

Mitchell said that the primary intention of a national screening programme would be to improve the quality and safety of screening practice.

“The key driver is to improve the safety and quality of screening practice for women in New Zealand. The work of the Advisory Group provides a clear way forward to do this”, she says.

“A national screening programme would include an informed consent process, national standards, monitoring and evaluation. The National Screening Unit will continue to work with key stakeholders including colleges, health care providers and the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association as it carries out this work.”

Mitchell said the further work requested by the Minister would be completed by October 2007.

For further information: www.nsu.govt.nz/