Lemke AA, Thompson ML, Gimpel EC, McNamara KC, Rich CA, Finnila CR, Cochran ME, Lawlor JMJ, East KM, Bowling KM, Latner DR, Hiatt SM, Amaral MD, Kelley WV, Greve V, Gray DE, Felker SA, Meddaugh H, Cannon A, Luedecke A, Jackson KE, Hendon LG, Janani HM, Johnston M, Merin LA, Deans SL, Tuura C, Hughes T, Williams H, Laborde K, Neu MB, Patrick-Esteve J, Hurst ACE, Kirmse BM, Savich R, Spedale SB, Knight SJ, Barsh GS, Korf BR, Cooper GM, Brothers KB
Abstract
Background: It is critical to understand the wide-ranging clinical and non-clinical effects of genome sequencing (GS) for parents in the NICU context. We assessed parents' experiences with GS as a first-line diagnostic tool for infants with suspected genetic conditions in the NICU. Methods: Parents of newborns (N = 62) suspected of having a genetic condition were recruited across five hospitals in the southeast United States as part of the SouthSeq study. Semi-structured interviews (N = 78) were conducted after parents received their child's sequencing result (positive, negative, or variants of unknown significance). Thematic analysis was performed on all interviews. Results: Key themes included that (1) GS in infancy is important for reproductive decision making, preparing for the child's future care, ending the diagnostic odyssey, and sharing results with care providers; (2) the timing of disclosure was acceptable for most parents, although many reported the NICU environment was overwhelming; and (3) parents deny that receiving GS results during infancy exacerbated parent-infant bonding, and reported variable impact on their feelings of guilt. Conclusion: Parents reported that GS during the neonatal period was useful because it provided a "backbone" for their child's care. Parents did not consistently endorse negative impacts like interference with parent-infant bonding.
