Screening for Down's syndrome: experience of two district general hospitals having different screening strategies

The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the rate of reduction in the number of Down's syndrome babies delivered in two hospitals having different screening strategies. The total number of Down's syndrome babies during the study period was 0.6/1000 births at Birch Hill Hospital and 1.9/1000 births at Oldham Hospital. Antenatal diagnosis of Down's syndrome was made in 1/4 of women (25%) at Birch Hill and 7/19 of women (37%) in Oldham. The reduction rate of Down's syndrome was similar in both hospitals (25 and 26%). This retrospective analysis and comparison between two neighbouring units, highlights the fact that there is little standardisation of screening policies and screening programmes have not resulted in a substantial reduction in Down's syndrome babies.