MCH Student:
Marijke van Roojen
Date of Defense:
January 9, 2015
Abstract:
Missed critical congenital heart defects in the newborn are responsible for three percent of all infant deaths each year in the United States. Routine pulse oximetry screening of the newborn can detect low oxygen saturations in the apparently normal newborn prior to hospital discharge, and can help to decrease the incidence of death due to missed heart disease. Wisconsin SHINE ( Screening Hearts in NEwborns) is a three – year pilot program implementing statewide pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart defects. In addition to screening in the hospital setting, Wisconsin is the only state in the U.S. that has fully implemented a screening protocol for babies born in the out – of – hospital setting, including screening within Amish and Old Order Mennonite populations in the state. Extending newborn screening practices into this community is challenging. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify facilitative factors and barriers to implementing pulse oximetry screening in the out – of – hospital birth population, and specifically in Old Order Mennonite and Amish communities.