Health Professionals’ Preferences for Genetic Prenatal Testing—An International Discrete Choice Experiment Survey

Objective This study explored healthcare professionals’ preferences regarding prenatal genomic testing following the detection of a foetal anomaly and their attitudes towards uncertain results. Method HCPs involved in genetic prenatal diagnostics were asked to fill in a cross‐sectional survey‐based study using a discrete choice experiment to assess their preferences for prenatal genomic testing and attitudes towards uncertain results. Results When ranking the different attributes, diagnostic yield was seen as the most important factor, followed by test safety, waiting time, and the professional responsible for communicating results. Regarding the DCE, respondents favoured tests with a higher probability of obtaining results and shorter turnaround times. The findings also revealed a consistent pattern of caution towards uncertainty, particularly among clinical geneticists compared to gynaecologists who preferred rapid return of test results. Clinical geneticists also assigned greater and almost equal importance to who was communicating the results, time to result, and the reporting of uncertain findings. In addition, respondents chose neither test option in approximately one third of choice tasks, suggesting that healthcare professionals were willing to forgo testing altogether when they perceived the balance between benefits and potential harms was unfavourable. Conclusion The cautious approach observed among healthcare professionals contrasts with findings from studies of prospective parents. Women generally preferred receiving as much information as possible from prenatal testing, including uncertain findings and secondary findings.