Newborn Screening Systems: The Complete Perspective

Ensuring optimal health for newborns is a concern shared by a whole host of medical and allied health professionals. Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers from a diverse range of specialties regularly engage in collaborative practice in the first stage of attaining this goal; in the early detection of newborn diseases and disorders. In order to provide the highest quality of service, the Audiologist, for example, must not only be well versed in hearing screening systems, but also in genetic screening, as the new frontier of screening brings an amalgamation of these previously distinct systems.

Until now, for those working/studying in the domain of neonatal health, there has been no single, up-to-date, all-inclusive information source on newborn screening programs.

This title, by drawing on the knowledge of twenty clinical and research experts from varying fields, provides the only comprehensive text that details the entire collection of screening programs routinely delivered to newborns.

Beginning chapters outline preliminary information applicable to all screening systems, for instance, the history and principles of screening, ethical and economic debates, along with thorough description of the conditions routinely screened for. Following are highly detailed chapters dedicated to the specific neonatal screening programs currently in use, as well as complimenting chapters that provide future directions for each field. Additional discussion of topical issues, such as the incorporation of genetic counseling into screening programs, optimal communication with families, and the advent of integrated, non-discipline specific, national data systems, are contained in the final chapters.

This title assists the student in viewing their future neonatal clients as whole entities and in understanding the role of the other professionals with whom they shall closely interact. It allows the clinician to easily absorb the activities of screening programs on an international level, and the researcher to consider developments, outside of their immediate field, that may impact on their own research agenda. It allows the policymaker to make enlightened decisions concerning the development of newborn screening programs in their country. In fact, any reader with a rudimentary knowledge of pediatric health and an interest in newborn screening will find this title to be of invaluable worth.

Douglas L. Beck, AuD, speaks with Dr. McPherson about his book, Newborn Screening Systems: The Complete Perspective, as well as medical and genetic screenings, and more in The Hearing Review. Read the interview here.

Reviews

"This book would be helpful for any healthcare provider, researcher, or student interested in the care and management of pediatric patients. In comparison to other books on similar topics, this one is very detailed and does an exceptional job in its description and explanation of unique terms and issues that could possibly be wrongfully interpreted. It leaves no room for misunderstandings and provides readers with the essential tools for enhancing his or her skills in pediatric healthcare."
—Ahmad Alexander, Doody's Review Service (2010)

Foreward
Preface
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Contributing Authors

• Part I: General Considerations in Newborn Screening
  • Chapter 1: Newborn Screening: History, Principles and Analysis
    Carlie J. Driscoll & Bradley McPherson
  • Chapter 2: Screening from an Economic Viewpoint
    Robert J. Ruben
  • Chapter 3: The Ethics of Newborn Hearing Screening
    Rod G. Beattie
  • Chapter 4: Newborn Diseases and Disorders
    Paul B. Colditz & Michael J. Colditz
• Part II: Newborn Screening Systems - Present and Future
  • Chapter 5: The Pediatrician’s Examination of the Newborn
    Ian A. Laing
  • Chapter 6: Newborn Hearing Screening
    Greg Leigh, Dunay Schmulian-Taljaard, & Zeffie Poulakis
  • Chapter 7: Improved Newborn Hearing Screening: Future Directions
    Gabriella Tognola, Alessia Paglialonga, & Ferdinando Grandori
  • Chapter 8: Newborn Dried Bloodspot Screening
    Bradford L. Therrell, Jr.
  • Chapter 9: Future Developments in Newborn Dried Bloodspot Screening
    Michael T. Gabbett
• Part III: Beyond the Screening Test
  • Chapter 10: The Role of Genetic Counseling
    Madelyn M. Peterson
  • Chapter 11: Communicating with Parents
    David Luterman
  • Chapter 12: Information Management Systems for Newborn Screening
    Karl R. White, Les R. Schmeltz, & K. Todd Houston

Glossary
Index