Nationwide implementation of the non-invasive prenatal test: Evaluation of a blended learning program for counselors.

This study assesses the results of a mandatory blended learning-program for counselors (e.g. midwives, sonographers, obstetricians) guiding national implementation of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT). We assessed counselors' 1) knowledge about prenatal aneuploidy screening, 2) factors associated with their knowledge (e.g. counselors' characteristics, attitudes towards NIPT), and 3) counselors' attitudes regarding the blended learning. A cross-sectional online pretest-posttest implementation survey was sent to all 2,813 Dutch prenatal counselors. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to identify associations between counselors' knowledge and e.g. their professional backgrounds, work experience and attitudes towards NIPT. At T0 and T1 1,635 and 913 counselors completed the survey, respectively. Overall results show an increased mean number of correct answered knowledge questions; 23/35 (66%) items at T0 and 28/37 (76%) items at T1. Knowledge gaps on highly specific topics remained. Work experience and secondary care work-setting were positively associated with a higher level of knowledge. Most counselors (74%) showed positive attitudes towards the blended learning program. The mandatory blended learning, along with learning by experience through implementation of NIPT, has facilitated an increase in counselors' knowledge and was well received. New implementations in healthcare may benefit from requiring blended learning for healthcare providers, especially if tailored to professionals' learning goals.

An Audit of Second-Trimester Fetal Anomaly Scans Based on a Novel Image-Scoring Method in the Southwest Region of the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVES: Since 2007 the second-trimester fetal anomaly scan is offered to all pregnant women as part of the national prenatal screening program in the Netherlands. Dutch population-based screening programs generally have a well-described system to achieve quality assurance. Because of the absence of a uniform system to monitor the actual performance of the fetal anomaly scan in 2012, we developed a standardized image-scoring method. The aim of this study was to evaluate the scanning performance of all sonographers in the southwestern region of the Netherlands using this image-scoring method. METHODS: Each sonographer was requested to set up a digital portfolio. A portfolio consists of five logbooks from five different pregnant women, each containing 25 fetal anatomical structures and six biometric measures of randomly selected fetal anomaly scans. RESULTS: During the study period, 425 logbooks of 85 sonographers were assessed as part of the audit process. Seventy-three out of 85 sonographers (86%) met the criteria in the primary audit, and 12 sonographers required individual hands-on training. A successful assessment was achieved for 11 sonographers in the re-audit and one sonographer ceased her contract. Moreover, 2.1% of the required images were not digitally stored and therefore could not be reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Quality assessment using the image-scoring method demonstrated that most of the sonographers met the expectations of the audit process, but those who had subpar performance met the expectations after retraining.

Mammography screening and risk of breast cancer death: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Because the efficacy of mammography screening had been shown in randomized controlled trials, the focus has turned on its effectiveness within the daily practice. Using individual data of women invited to screening, we conducted a case-control study to assess the effectiveness of the Dutch population-based program of mammography screening. METHODS: Cases were women who died from breast cancer between 1995 and 2003 and were closely matched to five controls on year of birth, year of first invitation, and number of invitations before case's diagnosis. ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between attending either of three screening examinations prior to diagnosis and the risk of breast cancer death were calculated using conditional logistic regression and corrected for self-selection bias. RESULTS: We included 755 cases and 3,739 matched controls. Among the cases, 29.8% was screen-detected, 34.3% interval-detected, and 35.9% never-screened. About 29.5% of the never-screened cases had stage IV tumor compared with 5.3% of the screen-detected and 15.1% of the interval-detected cases. The OR (95% CIs), all ages (49-75 years), was 0.51 (0.40-0.66) and for the age groups 50-69, 50-75, and 70-75 years were 0.61 (0.47-0.79), 0.52 (CI 0.41-0.67), and 0.16 (0.09-0.29), respectively. CONCLUSION: The study provides evidence for a beneficial effect of early detection by mammography screening in reducing the risk of breast cancer death among women invited to and who attended the screening. IMPACT: This is the first case-control study that accurately accounts for equal screening opportunity for both cases and matched controls by number of invitations before case's diagnosis.