Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT): An Introduction for Healthcare Professionals

Learn about the history, limitations, and ethical considerations of NIPT

Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is a timely issue in the UK. Already available within the private healthcare system, this maternal blood test is set to be offered by England’s National Health Service this year (NHS)

On this course, healthcare professionals will be introduced to the development, technology, along with ethical and legal considerations of NIPT. You will consider how and when to discuss NIPT with patients and the importance of patient choice. You will reflect on current NIPT practices, your personal experiences in the healthcare system, and improvements for the future.

This course is for midwives, sonographers, and obstetricians. It is also ideal for GPs and genetic counsellors. Although the course will assume knowledge of healthcare at some point, the course might also be of interest to people considering NIPT.

Healthcare professionals might find the the Certificate of Achievement for this course useful for providing evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or commitment to their career. You will need to upgrade on this course to receive a Certificate of Achievement when you are eligible.

• An introduction to Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)
• Welcome to the course
• An introduction to NIPT
• Understanding the fundamentals
• Biology and technologies
• End of week summary
• Clinical provision of NIPT
• NIPT: The screening pathway
• Patient selection and test performance
• Contraindications and limitations
• Where do we draw the line?
• End of week summary
• Choices, decision making and wider implications
• Information and communication
• Decision making: Supporting decisions
• Decision making: Wider implications
• Future considerations