An Interactive Informed Consent and Education Program for Pregnant Women

Women face a variety of medical decisions during pregnancy and childbirth. While there are
extensive educational resources for pregnant women, modern medicine presents decisions that
many women are poorly equipped to make. Issues such as prenatal screening and mode of birth
after a cesarean delivery require a significant degree of patient education to enable a
truly informed medical decision. Studies have shown that women have a poor understanding of
screening for birth defects and mode of birth after a cesarean delivery. Women with a low
level of education or poor health literacy are significantly more likely to demonstrate
inadequate understanding of prenatal screening. ArchieMD, Inc. has developed a comprehensive
interactive medical simulation environment which has the potential to visually convey
complex information to patients to improve understanding of medical procedures and educate
patients on the consequences of their behavior. We hypothesize that such an interactive
medical simulation patient education program can improve patient understanding allowing
pregnant women to make informed decisions. In Phase I, we will prototype an interactive
patient education program for prenatal screening and amniocentesis.