What are pregnant women's information needs and information seeking behaviors prior to their prenatal genetic counseling?

As a result of the Human Genome Project, more genetic diagnostic tests have become available to the public and genetic-related information has also grown exponentially. Pregnant women are now routinely offered tests for chromosomal disorders and screenings for genetic conditions that are relevant to their situations. In order to facilitate the information system (IS) development to support their informed decision-making, it is imperative for the IS designer to recognize their unique information needs and patterns of information seeking behavior (ISB) first. This paper presents results of a pilot study that examined pregnant women's information needs, ISBs, and information resources used prior to their prenatal genetic counseling. Findings suggest three distinctive areas, content, format, and timing, for IS design considerations.