The Cognitive Approach to Bioethical Issues in Perinatal Care in Greece.

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Prenatal Diagnosis
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Prenatal diagnosis presents ongoing bioethics challenges, particularly concerning maternal autonomy versus fetal interventions.
• The study addresses the need to assess bioethics in prenatal diagnosis and education within Greece.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the current state of bioethics in prenatal diagnosis in Greece.
• To assess the effectiveness of bioethics education among healthcare professionals in Greece.

Main Methods:

• A Likert scale questionnaire was administered to 220 participants in fetal and perinatal medicine in Greece.
• Data collection occurred between October 2018 and December 2019, covering general bioethics opinions and specific ethical dilemmas.

Main Results:

• 92.3% of participants recognized bioethics as essential in medical practice.
• Significant uncertainty exists regarding discussing miscarriage risks (86%), the nature of informed consent (medical vs. legal), and information delivery (oral vs. written).
• 32% of practitioners lacked full awareness of laws concerning fetal rights.

Conclusions:

• Despite acknowledging bioethics' importance, healthcare professionals demonstrate a mismanagement of ethical dilemmas, indicating inadequate undergraduate bioethics education.
• Improving bioethics learning processes is vital for enhancing routine clinical practice in prenatal diagnosis.