Educational needs of nurses to provide genetic services in prenatal care: a cross-sectional study from Turkey

Abstract

The latest advances in genetics/genomics have significantly impacted prenatal screening and diagnostic tests. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in inpatient and outpatient obstetric clinics in 24 hospitals in Turkey to determine knowledge of genetics related to prenatal care and the educational needs of perinatal nurses. A total of 116 nurses working in these clinics agreed to participate. The results included the level of knowledge among nurses was not affected by sociodemographic factors. Also, there is a lack of knowledge and interest in genetics among prenatal nurses and in clinical practice to provide education and counseling related to genetics in prenatal settings as a part of prenatal care.