Lau, JYC, Yi, H and Ahmed, S (2016) Decision-making for non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome: Hong Kong Chinese women's preferences for individual vs relational autonomy. Clinical Genetics, 89 (5). pp. 550-556. ISSN 0009-9163
Abstract
Individual autonomy in antenatal screening is internationally recognised and supported. Policy and practice guidelines in various countries place emphasis on the woman's right to make her own decision and are related to concepts such as self-determination, independence, and self-sufficiency. In contrast, the dominant perspective in Chinese medical ethics suggests that the family is pivotal in making medical decisions, hence providing support for relational autonomy. This study explored Hong Kong Chinese pregnant women's preferences for individual versus relational autonomy for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Down syndrome. A qualitative study carried out using semi-structured interviews with 36 women who had undertaken NIPT in Hong Kong. The findings show that most Hong Kong Chinese women valued aspects of both relational and individual autonomy in decision-making for NIPT. Women expected support from doctors as experts on the topic and wanted to involve their husband in decision-making while retaining control over the outcome. Somewhat surprisingly, the findings do not provide support for the involvement of family members in decision-making for NIPT. The adequacy of current interpretations of autonomy in prenatal testing policies as an individual approach needs discussion, where policy developers need to find a balance between individual and relational approaches.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lau, J.Y.C., Yi, H. and Ahmed, S. (2016), Decision-making for non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome: Hong Kong Chinese women's preferences for individual vs relational autonomy. Clinical Genetics. doi: 10.1111/cge.12743, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cge.12743. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
Keywords: | autonomy; decision-making; Hong Kong; non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT); qualitative study |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Public Health (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ESRC RES-061-25-0036 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Mar 2016 13:10 |
Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2017 06:57 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cge.12743 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/cge.12743 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:96023 |