Evaluation of Parent Counseling After Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease

One percent of pregnancies are affected by congenital heart disease. Of those affected, about 25% require immediate hospitalization after birth and surgical management. This project is a retrospective program analysis of the fetal cardiology division within a pediatric congenital and acquired heart disease center. Caregivers of infants with a fetal diagnosis of congenital heart disease were surveyed with a 22-item questionnaire. This questionnaire measured caregivers’ perceived efficacy of prenatal counseling, education, and preparation. The questionnaire was completed by 7 participants (n = 7). The questionnaire and demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with and without crosstabulation. This ranked caregivers’ satisfaction in prenatal care broken down into preparation and education domains. One of the most significant outcomes was the high number of potential participants excluded due to language barriers. While satisfaction was high, caregivers were unprepared for their child’s transfer to the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the medical equipment their child would require. Surprisingly, data indicates that caregivers did not know which members of the interdisciplinary team they met with during their prenatal appointments. This data will be used to improve the department and standardize the care provided.