Overall, the studies show that FNT screening is both sensitive in distinguishing the affected from the unaffected fetuses an d specific in identifying normal fetuses as normal. However, the positive predictive values were lower than desired. The results of many of the studies were written differently, making comparisons difficult. For example, some researchers provided percentages but not the actual numbers of normal and affected pregnancies.
The members of the American College of obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Genetics support 1st trimester screening as a concept but want to see the results of more research in FNT screening before supporting FNT screening as a standard of practice (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2000). As the medical research in FNT screening continues, nurses also have the opportunity to access a large number of parents undergoing this screening technique. To date, no nursing research has been published on FNT screening.