Article type
Abstract
Background:
Pulse oximetry is a screening method based on the measurement of oxygen saturation level or blood oxygen level, which is performed on newborns. This screening method is used not only to detect critical heart defects but also for noncardiac problems. The topic was prioritized by the executive board of the National Institute for Quality and Excellence in Healthcare (NIKEZ) in collaboration with the National Screening Centre as highly important.
Objectives:
The aim is to present a rapid recommendation that answers the main clinical question: “Should routine newborn screening with a pulse oximeter (to detect critical heart defects and other conditions) be implemented in the Czech Republic?"
Methods:
The rapid recommendation was developed according to the Czech national methodology developed by NIKEZ based on GRADE-ADOLOPMENT. Firstly, the team was established, and the protocol of rapid recommendation was in the national central registry. Following comprehensive search of existing guidelines and systematic reviews, the retrieved guidelines were critically evaluated using standardized instruments by 3 independent reviewers. Evidence on the safety and acceptability of pulse oximetry was processed into recommendations.
Results:
Based on the findings of a systematic search, there is evidence for the establishment of the pulse oximetry screening task force, including from pediatrics, perinatology, and neonatology European scientific societies in 2017. Although recommendations of the pulse oximetry screening task force are implemented differently in the management of neonatal care in European countries, the guidelines on which the recommendations are based are outdated. Therefore, new findings from systematic reviews will support the scientific evidence for the use of pulse oximetry in newborns to detect heart defects and other noncardiac problems in the rapid recommendation. In the first step, the results were summarized in the evidence summary; then, the evidence-to-decision framework was developed.
Conclusion
Newborn screening with a pulse oximeter is safe, has minimal false-positive results, is painless, and is acceptable to both parents and healthcare professionals. By implementing this screening examination in practice, it has the potential to save the life of approximately 5 out of 10,000 newborns examined in the Czech Republic.
Pulse oximetry is a screening method based on the measurement of oxygen saturation level or blood oxygen level, which is performed on newborns. This screening method is used not only to detect critical heart defects but also for noncardiac problems. The topic was prioritized by the executive board of the National Institute for Quality and Excellence in Healthcare (NIKEZ) in collaboration with the National Screening Centre as highly important.
Objectives:
The aim is to present a rapid recommendation that answers the main clinical question: “Should routine newborn screening with a pulse oximeter (to detect critical heart defects and other conditions) be implemented in the Czech Republic?"
Methods:
The rapid recommendation was developed according to the Czech national methodology developed by NIKEZ based on GRADE-ADOLOPMENT. Firstly, the team was established, and the protocol of rapid recommendation was in the national central registry. Following comprehensive search of existing guidelines and systematic reviews, the retrieved guidelines were critically evaluated using standardized instruments by 3 independent reviewers. Evidence on the safety and acceptability of pulse oximetry was processed into recommendations.
Results:
Based on the findings of a systematic search, there is evidence for the establishment of the pulse oximetry screening task force, including from pediatrics, perinatology, and neonatology European scientific societies in 2017. Although recommendations of the pulse oximetry screening task force are implemented differently in the management of neonatal care in European countries, the guidelines on which the recommendations are based are outdated. Therefore, new findings from systematic reviews will support the scientific evidence for the use of pulse oximetry in newborns to detect heart defects and other noncardiac problems in the rapid recommendation. In the first step, the results were summarized in the evidence summary; then, the evidence-to-decision framework was developed.
Conclusion
Newborn screening with a pulse oximeter is safe, has minimal false-positive results, is painless, and is acceptable to both parents and healthcare professionals. By implementing this screening examination in practice, it has the potential to save the life of approximately 5 out of 10,000 newborns examined in the Czech Republic.