Get Involved
The ongoing work of Prenatal Screening Ontario is best supported by the input of those who have experience with prenatal screening, as a provider, patient or family member. Prenatal Screening Ontario (PSO) works very closely with those active in the prenatal screening community in order to gain expert advice and knowledge about the work that we do related to education, quality assurance and standards of care.
Members of the public
Consider lending your voice to support Ontario’s Prenatal Screening system. Prenatal Screening Ontario (PSO) is always seeking members of the public to incorporate the needs and experiences of the community as related to prenatal screening.
If you have been pregnant in the past three years, or were the partner or family member of a pregnant individual, and are interested in participating in our activities, please contact us for more details. We are looking for representation from across all regions of Ontario including Northern Ontario, rural and Indigenous communities.
PSO committees, working groups and task forces
Prenatal Screening Ontario (PSO) depends on input from experts and advisors from relevant fields to ensure that all the elements of a robust screening program are best carried out. PSO has four groups engaged to facilitate stakeholder input and advice on important operational areas: PSO Advisory Committee, Genetics Working Group, NTQA Working Group and Education Working Group. Our working groups consist of a variety of dedicated individuals from varied specialties within the prenatal screening community to best enable the work to be done in a positive and effective way.
Members of the committee will generally have terms of three years, renewable once. Meetings are held no fewer than four times a year, and are currently conducted by video conference, with other business conducted by email. Members are expected to attend a minimum of 50% of meetings per year to maintain membership.
PSO Advisory Committee
The PSO Advisory Committee (PSO-AC) provides support to PSO and the Ministry of Health (MOH) regarding issues related to prenatal screening. Activities of the PSO Advisory Committee include:
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Providing provincial stakeholders a forum to have input on the direction of current and future PSO activities,
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Reviewing new conditions that may be amenable to systematic population screening,
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Considering and advising on strategic directions for the MOH, and for prenatal screening in Ontario,
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Identifying potential collaborative partners and initiatives to enhance screening for pregnant people in Ontario,
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Advising on social, ethical, health system, and scientific issues that affect prenatal screening in Ontario,
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Responding to questions referred to the PSO-AC by PSO, the Government of Ontario, or other stakeholders.
Please consult the Terms of Reference to find more information about the PSO Advisory Committee.
Genetics Working Group
The Genetics Working Group provides advice to PSO regarding clinical issues related to prenatal screening for genetic conditions. The group assesses the current prenatal screening algorithm and makes recommendations to improve consistency, optimization of the system, and access. Current and ongoing work includes:
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Reviewing the clinical indicators for publicly funded cfDNA screening,
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Assessing the performance of each screening test and the prenatal screening system as a whole,
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Advising PSO on the implementation of strategies for clinical changes in prenatal screening.
Please consult the Terms of Reference to find more information about the Genetics Expert Working Group.
NTQA Working Group
Prenatal Screening Ontario (PSO) was tasked with developing and implementing a nuchal translucency quality assurance (NTQA) program for first trimester screening in Ontario. Measurement quality and screening quality are known to decrease over time if sonographers are not participating in a formal NTQA program. The overarching goal of the program is to improve NT ultrasound performance in Ontario. The role of the NTQA program is to work with both the Ontario Multiple Marker Screening laboratories and the ultrasound community to bring attention to NT ultrasound performance, and to support sonographers in enhancing their performance by providing resources and feedback as needed.
The role of the NTQA Working Group is to guide and support PSO in developing and initiating an NTQA program, and to identify pathways for sonographer communication, education and remediation as necessary. Past and ongoing work of the NTQA Working Group includes:
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Co-creating strategies for disseminating information to sonographers across the province,
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Educating the diagnostic imaging community on the status of nuchal translucency measurement performance in Ontario and increasing awareness of the NTQA Program. At the end of fiscal year 2019-2020, 1397 sonographers were registered in the BORN Information System (BIS) and 41 sonographers participated in one-on-one remediation through the NTQA program,
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Identifying ways to assess NT measurement performance.
Please consult the Terms of Reference to find more information about the NTQA Working Group.
Education Working Group
The role of the PSO Education Working group is to advise PSO in the development of PSO Education Strategies. Past and current activities include:
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Reviewing and informing the development of educational tools and decision aids, stakeholder engagement activities, content for the PSO website,
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Reviewing educational materials to ensure that they are evidence-based, applicable to the Canadian audience (i.e. health care providers and public), separate from advertising or commercial companies, as well as accessible, unique and up-to-date.
Please consult the Terms of Reference to find more information about the Education Working Group.