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Use of Online Newborn Screening Educational Resources for the Education of Expectant Parents: An Improvement in
Kristen Thompson1, Shelby Atkinson1, Mary Kleyn1
1Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Lansing, MI 48933, USA.
Insights
Educating expectant parents about newborn screening (NBS) is vital. Michigan
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Parental education on newborn screening (NBS) is crucial for informed decision-making and improved infant health outcomes.
- Prenatal education presents challenges for NBS programs, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Effective NBS education ensures parents understand the process, its importance, and their post-screening options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual baby fairs as a method for prenatal parent education regarding newborn screening.
- To assess the feasibility and reach of a collaborative, virtual educational approach for NBS programs.
Main Methods:
- Michigan's NBS Program partnered with 15 other programs to host a series of virtual baby fairs.
- Participants received resource packets, attended live presentations, and accessed recorded sessions via YouTube.
- Data collected on registration, live attendance, and video views to gauge engagement.
Main Results:
- Seven virtual fairs were conducted, involving 15 participating programs and reaching 692 registered participants.
- Over 157 participants attended live presentations, and 211 viewed recorded fair content on YouTube.
- Virtual fairs demonstrated cost-effectiveness and convenience for prenatal NBS education.
Conclusions:
- Virtual baby fairs offer a scalable and accessible platform for educating parents about newborn screening.
- This collaborative model enhances NBS program outreach and parent engagement.
- Virtual fairs represent a viable, cost-effective strategy for prenatal NBS education adaptable by other programs.
Abstract:
Educating parents about the newborn screening (NBS) process is critical in ensuring that families are aware of their child's NBS, which could contribute to better outcomes for the baby and experiences for the family. Successful education efforts result in expecting parents understanding the importance of NBS, feeling comfortable with the NBS process, and being aware of their choices after NBS is complete. Educating parents prenatally is challenging for many NBS programs for a variety of reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic added additional barriers to NBS programs' ability to educate parents prenatally about NBS. By initiating a department-wide partnership among other programs with a similar target audience, Michigan's NBS Program was able to host a virtual baby fair. Since the inaugural event, Michigan's NBS Program has hosted seven virtual fairs with 15 participating programs. A total of 692 participants registered for the baby fair and received a resource packet, over 157 participants joined one of the live presentations, and 211 have viewed the YouTube videos of recorded fairs. Virtual baby fairs are a cost-effective and convenient approach to education that could be implemented in any NBS program to educate parents prenatally about NBS.
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