Randomised trial comparing an interactive multimedia decision aid with a leaflet and a video to give information about prenatal screening for Down syndrome

Abstract

Objectives: (1)To compare an interactive multimedia decision aid (IMDA) with a leaflet and a video to give information about prenatal screening for Down syndrome and (2) to determine the women's acceptance of IMDA. Methods: Two hundred and one women were recruited from the prenatal clinic of a university teaching hospital and randomised into the intervention group (IMDA, video, and information leaflet) or the control group (video and information leaflet). Results: There were no significant differences in the initial decision for and the final uptake of the prenatal screening test between the control and intervention groups. The proportion of women who were undecided was less than 10% in both groups. Of the women in the intervention group, 86.6% and 78.9% agreed that IMDA was user-friendly and acceptable, respectively. Significantly more women aged <35 (88.1%) accepted IMDA than women aged >=35 (68.3%) (P = 0.030), but the logistic regression analysis did not confirm this finding after adjusting for other factors (computer knowledge and usage of computer). Conclusion: The use of IMDA did not affect the women's overall uptake rate of the prenatal screening test for Down syndrome. More women less than 35 years accepted IMDA probably because they used computer more frequently and had more computer knowledge. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.