Factors affecting the uptake of screening for neural tube defect.

A questionnaire concerning pregnant women's knowledge of, and attitudes to, serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) screening for spina bifida was sent to all pregnant women receiving a health education leaflet on AFP screening who booked at the Birmingham Maternity Hospital in the first quarter of 1984. The majority said that they would accept the test, and subsequently did so. This suggests that low uptake of the test is not a result of patients' resistance, and the results indicated that the provision of early information about the test is likely to improve uptake and decrease anxiety. With the increasing clinical usefulness of the AFP test, routine screening of pregnant women with an 'opt-out' system is becoming clinically desirable, and the survey suggests that it would be acceptable to the patients.