March of Dimes
Clinical Issues and Considerations
  Professional Education: Newborn Screening

The American Academy of Pediatrics Newborn Screening Task Force considers health professionals as stakeholders within any newborn screening system. It states that: “Those who provide medical homes for children must understand the newborn screening system, apply appropriate professional standards to their practice and assume responsibility for their role in that newborn screening system” (1).

An integral part of the newborn screening process is professional education. This includes knowledge about:
  • The goals of your state’s newborn screening program
  • The newborn screening laws, rules and regulations for your state
  • Disorders screened by your state’s newborn screening program
  • The vital importance of early diagnosis and treatment of “at risk” infants
  • The importance of obtaining and handling a valid specimen suitable for testing purposes


Resources for Professionals

National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center (NNSGRC)

  • State and regional NBS program links
  • State NBS contact information
  • National NBS Information Reports (1996–2000)
  • U.S. National Screening Status Report (table listing the disorders in each state’s panel)


American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

March of Dimes Newborn Screening Recommendations

Mountain States Genetic Network (MoSt GeNe)

Newborn Screening Practitioner's Manual


Reference
1. Serving the family from birth to the medical home. Newborn screening: a blueprint for the future—a call for a national agenda on state newborn screening programs. Pediatrics 2000;106(2 pt 2):389-427.


The information contained in this section does not constitute the endorsement of any specific state policy or procedure by the March of Dimes. Content is based on the New York State Department of Health manual “Newborn Screening in New York State: A Guide for Health Professionals,” provided by the Newborn Screening Program, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. The material has been modified for a national audience, and additional information has been added by the March of Dimes.

 		 
  © 2008 March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. All rights reserved. The March of Dimes is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality.