Clinical trial of a birth and parenting planning program for women diagnosed with fetal anomalies: A feasibility study

Abstract

Aim: We assessed the feasibility of the Birth and Parenting Planning (BPPing) program we developed to support women diagnosed with fetal anomalies.

Methods: We conducted a feasibility study using a quasi-experimental, post-test only, non-equivalent groups design. We assessed feasibility from four aspects: (1) Demand: birth plan submitting rate (primary outcome); (2) Acceptability: woman's satisfaction of care scale (SATISFACTION) and Visual Analog Scale for care satisfaction; (3) Preliminary efficacy: women's recognition of being able to express and share her hopes scale (HOPES); and (4) Safety: obstetric/neonatal outcomes and frequency of women's referral to a psychological counselor. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for data analysis.

Results: We enrolled 62 women with fetal anomalies attending a perinatal medical center for antenatal check-ups. Of these, 51 women (median age: 34 years) received either the BPPing program (intervention group: n = 25) or the usual care (control group: n = 26). The birth plan submitting rates were 96% (intervention group, 24/25) and 7.7% (control group, 2/26). The intervention group had a significantly higher total score on HOPES at postpartum (U = 441.5, p = 0.027). Upon subgroup analysis based on parity, in the intervention group only, the multiparas had a higher score on the SATISFACTION item, "I would recommend the care I received to someone in a similar situation". There were no adverse events in either group.

Conclusion: The BPPing program was feasible in supporting women diagnosed with fetal anomalies in terms of demand, acceptability, preliminary efficacy, and safety.

Keywords: birth planning; clinical trial; feasibility study; fetal anomalies; perinatal diagnosis.