Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
Dried Blood Spots - Preparing and Processing for Use in Immunoassays and in Molecular Techniques
Published on: March 13, 2015
Improving the quality of newborn screening dry blood spot specimens in the nursery
Diksha Shrestha1, Kelechi Ikeri2, Vicki Curtis3
1Division of Neonatology, University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital, Mobile, AL, USA. dikshas@health.southalabama.edu.
Background:
Defective newborn screening (NBS) specimens require repeat collection, potentially delaying care and increasing healthcare costs.
Objective:
To reduce unsatisfactory NBS rates in the well-baby nursery from 35% to <10% over 12-months through establishment of a dedicated specimen collection team.
Methods:
Staff education, establishment of a specimen collection team, and pre-dispatch review were implemented. Outcome measure was the unsatisfactory specimen rate. Process measure was the proportion of specimens collected by the specimen collection team. Balancing measure was the proportion of specimens obtained >48 h after birth.
Results:
During the intervention period (n = 2395), unsatisfactory specimen rate decreased to 5.3% with special cause variation, exceeding our target, and was sustained for 18 months (n = 3668). The specimen collection team collected all specimens. Specimens obtained >48 h after birth decreased from 6.5% to 4.7%.
Conclusion:
NBS specimen collection by trained staff with pre-dispatch review can improve specimen quality without impacting the timeliness of screening.
More Related Videos
10:29Mapping Infant Immunity with Minimal Input: Integrative Single-Cell and Multiomic Profiling
Published on: April 3, 2026
09:33Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India
Published on: December 23, 2022