Evaluating the effectiveness of genetics education for primary care prenatal providers

An understanding of the most effective ways to educate different audiences and determining appropriate outcomes and measures are essential to the successful implementation of genetic medicine into clinical practice. We designed a multi-modal evaluation to assess patient, provider, and process outcomes for the “Pregnancy and Health Profile,” a tablet PC-based tool that collects family health history (FHH) plus pregnancy risk factor information and generates, through clinical decision support, qualitative risk assessment messages and point-of-care educational material for prenatal providers. We reviewed 1) practice guidelines that recommend risk assessment using FHH for specific diseases and 2) published evaluation methods and outcomes from the literature on FHH tools. Prenatal providers and genetics experts defined the evaluation outcomes for the project. These outcomes include provider satisfaction, knowledge, and behavior related to FHH risk assessment; patient satisfaction, and the impact of implementation on the clinic system. Obstetricians, family physicians, nurse midwives, and office staff will participate in a 6-month implementation trial to integrate the “Pregnancy and Health Profile,” into clinical care for all patients presenting for the first prenatal visit. Evaluation methodology includes pre and post knowledge surveys for providers, pre and post chart audits to assess FHH risk assessment, patient satisfaction surveys, and interviews with clinic administrators. Through implementation and evaluation of the “Pregnancy and Health Profile” in diverse patient and provider populations, we will determine the effectiveness and feasibility of integrating an electronic FHH screening tool into prenatal care.