Medical School, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2024 Sep;14(3):638-644. doi: 10.1007/s44197-024-00263-z. Epub 2024 Jun 26.
Newborn screening (NBS) programs are believed to play an important role in the decrease of infant mortality rates in many countries. This is achieved through offering early detection and treatment of many genetic as well as metabolic disorders prior to the onset of symptoms. Our paper examines NBS across seven diverse nations: Saudi Arabia, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This paper discusses the diseases screened for by each country, latest additions, as well as future recommendations, when applicable. Employing a comparative approach, we conducted a comprehensive review of the most recent published literature on NBS programs in each country and subsequently examined their latest implemented NBS guidelines as outlined on their respective official government health sector websites. We then reviewed the economic feasibility of each of these programs and factors that affect implementation and overall benefit. While all six countries employ well-developed programs, variations are observed. Those variations are mainly attributed to disparities in access, resource scarcity, financial availability, as well as ethical and cultural considerations. From a local perspective, we recommend conducting further population-based studies to assess the epidemiological data in relation to the disease burden on the country's economy. Moreover, we recommend updating national and international guidelines to contain a more comprehensive approach on policies, operation, and sustainability to deliver a service through the lens of value-based healthcare.
新生儿筛查(NBS)计划被认为在许多国家降低婴儿死亡率方面发挥了重要作用。这是通过在症状出现之前,对许多遗传和代谢疾病进行早期检测和治疗来实现的。我们的论文考察了七个不同国家的 NBS:沙特阿拉伯、美国、日本、新加坡、加拿大、澳大利亚和英国。本文讨论了每个国家筛查的疾病、最新的新增疾病,以及在适用的情况下,未来的建议。我们采用比较的方法,对每个国家最近发表的 NBS 计划相关文献进行了全面审查,随后检查了他们在各自官方政府卫生部门网站上列出的最新实施的 NBS 指南。然后,我们审查了这些项目的每个方案的经济可行性以及影响实施和整体效益的因素。虽然所有六个国家都采用了完善的方案,但也存在差异。这些差异主要归因于获取途径、资源匮乏、财务状况以及伦理和文化方面的差异。从本地角度来看,我们建议进行进一步的基于人群的研究,以评估与疾病负担相关的流行病学数据对国家经济的影响。此外,我们建议更新国家和国际指南,以包含更全面的政策、运营和可持续性方法,通过基于价值的医疗保健视角提供服务。