Assessment of the current knowledge of obstetricians and gynecologists about preconception screening. A sociological survey

Background: Preconception screening is testing for carriage of recessive mutations of monogenic diseases in healthy spouses at the stage of pregnancy planning. In the Russian Federation, genetic testing and subsequent consultation by obstetricians and gynecologists are only carried out in two or three specialized centers. Obstetricians and gynecologists of the outpatient care service as the primary level of prevention do not often have information about these diseases and know where to refer patients for examination. It is not their responsibility to provide advice on this matter, but they should know the genetic centers where the patient or couple can be referred for further consultation. Increasing the level of knowledge of obstetricians and gynecologists will allow the widespread introduction of preconception screening as the primary stage of the prevention of hereditary diseases.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine, based on the analysis of questionnaire data, the current level of knowledge and interest of obstetricians and gynecologists regarding issues of preconception screening.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted in the categorical field of medical sociology as one-time continuous research. A hundred of obstetricians and gynecologists from St. Petersburg, Russia who work in antenatal clinics, hospitals and private medical institutions participated in this sociological study on a voluntary and anonymous basis. To conduct the survey, an original questionnaire was developed, which included 21 questions. The survey was carried out using an electronic questionnaire (Google form).

Results: As a result of the survey, a hundred of obstetricians and gynecologists took part, including local doctors at district antenatal clinics, inpatient doctors, heads of departments, as well as obstetricians and gynecologists from private medical organizations. Analysis of the sociological survey data showed a satisfactory level of theoretical knowledge of obstetricians and gynecologists regarding preconception screening. At the same time, there is no general algorithm for managing data of the patients, their routing, and the scope of examination and diagnosis.

Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that the problem of preconception screening is relevant and requires a deeper understanding by obstetricians and gynecologists. The development of a methodological manual for obstetricians and gynecologists will increase the level of awareness of specialists, optimize the routing of potential patients and increase the effectiveness of the prevention of hereditary diseases with a recessive type of inheritance.