Patient acceptance of prenatal alpha-fetoprotein screening: a preliminary study.

Forty-five obstetrical patients who received an educational session about maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) screening were followed until the 20th to 26th week of gestation to determine what percentage would decide to have MSAFP testing. These patients were then given a knowledge test and questioned about the factors that led to their decision about the test. Fourteen of the 45 study patients (31%) elected to have MSAFP testing. The patient's decision to have MSAFP testing was found to be significantly associated with 1) reporting a longer length of time discussing the test with the physician, 2) reporting that the opinion of a significant other about the test was important, and 3) older age. There is a need for further study of patients' acceptance of MSAFP testing to see if the relatively low acceptance rate found in this study is also found in other practices.