Quality of written information used in Down syndrome screening

A qualitative assessment was performed on 81 leaflets used in maternal seru m Down syndrome screening from National Health Service (NHS) obstetric unit s and private screening services. Quality was assessed by factual content, presentation and reading ease and this was amalgamated into a single overal l score expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible score. Eleven (14 %) leaflets included all eight factual items recommended by the Royal Colle ge of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG); only one included these and a further nine items recognised as important to the consumer. Three (4%) le aflets contained information that was incorrect and 17 (21%) that was misle ading or inconsistent. Using published criteria six (7%) leaflets were well presented and ten (12%) were fairly easy to read. The average reading age was 13-14 years. The overall quality score showed that five leaflets had 80 % or more of the total possible score. However a substantial number, 15 (19 %), were totally unacceptable having scores of 40% or less. In general the quality of leaflets used in the UK is considered poor. A national Deer-revi ewed leaflet should be prepared which can be modified to suit local policy. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.