Guthrie test: pregnant women's perception during prenatal care

this study is an exploratory - descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative approach design, carried out with 160 pregnant women who attended the Prenatal Care service at the Primary HealthCare in the city of Uberaba-MG. Data collection was performed between December 2014 and February 2015, using a semi-structured questionnaire. A bivariate descriptive statistics was applied by using the Pearson´s Chi-square test.

Results:

75% of the pregnant women could not report which pathologies were to be screened, 16.3% reported that the diseases detected by Guthrie test had etiology genetic, 82% mentioned it was necessary to have more information on Guthrie test, 60% referred the necessity on focusing which diseases to be diagnosed. Only 36% of the pregnant women indicated the correct period (3rd to 7th day of the newborn life) for exam collecting. An average of 50% of the participants did not know about this prenatal test.

Conclusions:

pregnant women showed a low understanding regarding the test; there was a lack of understanding about prenatal matters. The nursing personnel play an important role in this stage to demonstrate their abilities in health education.

Key words:
Neonatal screening; Prenatal care; Neonatal nursing

Variables	N	%
Have you heard about newborn screening
Yes	79	49.4
No	81	50.6
Have you heard about Guthrie test
Yes	152	95.0
No	8	5.0
Obligation
Mandatory	114	71.3
Optional	2	1.3
Do not know	44	27.5
Guthrie test during prenatal care
Yes	75	46.0
No	85	53.1
Gestational age at orientation
First trimester (1st to 3rd month)	43	26.9
Second trimester (4th to 6th month)	27	16.9
Third semester (7th to 9th month)	16	10.0
Was not oriented	74	46.3
Need additional clarification on Guthrie test
Yes	131	81.9
No	29	18.1
Issues to be approached in details^* * In this question the pregnant woman may answer more than one answer.
Which diseases can be detected	94	58.8
What is the test for	54	33.8
Information on how to proceed if the result is positive	54	33.8
Appropriate period for collecting	34	21.3
A place where Guthrie test is performed
Yes	83	51.9
No	77	48.1

Variables	N	%
Purpose
To know if the child has any disease	79	49.4
To know if the child will have any genetic disease	26	16.3
To know the child's blood type	5	3.1
To know if the child has any foot problem	5	3.1
Do not know	45	28.1
Importance
Early detection of some incurable diseases	25	15.6
Early detection of some treatable diseases	64	40.0
Routine test only	5	3.1
Do not know	66	41.3
Accomplishment^* * In this question, the pregnant woman may answer more than one answer.
Blood collection from the newborn's foot	136	85.0
Plantar impression of the child's foot	11	6.9
Blood collecting from the arm by venous puncture.	2	1.3
Do not know	14	8.8
Period for blood collection
Within the first 48 hours of life	36	22.5
From the 3rd to the 7th day of life	58	36.3
From the 8th to the 9th day of life	3	1.9
From the 11th to the 30th day of life	12	7.5
30 days after birth	7	4.4
Do not know	44	27.5

Variables	Number of children				Total		p^* * Pearson's Chi-square test, p≤0.05,
	No children		Children
	n	%	n	%	n	%
Orientation about TP during prenatal care							0.009
Yes	24	35.3	51	55.4	75	46.9
No	44	67.7	41	44.6	85	53.1
More detail about Guthrie test							0.007
Yes	62	91.2	69	75.0	13	81.9
No	6	8.8	23	25.0	29	18.1

Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira Rua dos Coelhos, 300. Boa Vista, 50070-550 Recife PE Brasil, Tel./Fax: +55 81 2122-4141 - Recife - PR - Brazil
E-mail: revista@imip.org.br

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[TFN1] ^*
In this question the pregnant woman may answer more than one answer.