Prenatal counselling for congenital anomalies: a systematic review

Objective Prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomalies may arouse fear, anxiety and distress in parents, and counselling may assist parents to cope with the diagnosis. This systematic review aimed to (1) synthesise the evidence on the impact of non‐genetic, prenatal counselling after fetal diagnosis of a congenital anomaly on parental knowledge and psychological adjustment and (2) identify parents' preferences for the timing and format of counselling. Method Five electronic databases were systematically searched to identify studies assessing prenatal counselling provided to parents after prenatal diagnosis of one or more structural congenital anomalies. Data were extracted using predefined data forms, according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses guidelines, and synthesised. Result Twenty four articles were included for review; most articles reported results of retrospective surveys and the quality of included studies was variable. Only three studies assessed parental anxiety, and each reported a significant decrease in anxiety following prenatal counselling. Parents expressed a preference for counselling on all aspects of their baby's anomaly as soon as possible after prenatal diagnosis, and desired written, visual and web‐based information resources, and support group contacts. Conclusion Although prenatal counselling reduced parental anxiety, further research is needed to adequately assess the impact of prenatal counselling on other psychological outcomes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. What's Already Known About This Topic? Prenatal diagnosis of a congenital anomaly may result in significant psychological distress for parents of affected babies. Parents may attend counselling sessions to assist in gathering information about their baby's condition, adjusting to the diagnosis and making decisions about their baby's care. Previous theoretical reviews have recommended various counselling approaches; however, there has been no systematic review of the evidence on prenatal counselling for congenital anomalies. What Does This Study Add? This is the first systematic review to examine the efficacy of non‐genetic, prenatal counselling for congenital anomalies diagnosed during pregnancy. Prenatal counselling was found to reduce parental anxiety; however, there is limited evidence for the impact of counselling on other psychological outcomes. Parents prefer to receive comprehensive information about their baby's condition from a kno