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Effectiveness of a targeted screening program in identifying infants with positive urine toxicology screening results
P T Horn1, J Mendelsohn, M I Bowers
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, IL 60612.
Insights
A targeted urine drug screening program for infants identified most positive cases, proving nearly as effective as universal screening. This approach optimizes resource allocation while ensuring timely detection of substance exposure in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal medicine
- Clinical toxicology
- Public health
Background:
- Infants exposed to drugs of abuse present unique diagnostic and treatment challenges.
- Current screening protocols for neonatal drug exposure vary in application and effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of universal versus targeted urine drug screening in identifying infants with positive results.
- To evaluate the efficiency of a targeted screening approach based on clinical suspicion.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of infants undergoing urine screening for drugs of abuse.
- Comparison of detection rates between a universal screening strategy and a targeted strategy guided by clinical suspicion.
Main Results:
- A targeted screening program identified 24.3% of admissions requiring toxicology testing.
- The targeted approach successfully identified all but two infants with positive drug screening results, demonstrating high sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- A well-implemented targeted urine drug screening program is highly effective in identifying infants with positive results.
- Targeted screening offers a potentially more resource-efficient alternative to universal screening for neonatal drug exposure.
Abstract:
We compared the effectiveness in identifying infants with positive results on urine screening for drugs of abuse of a universal screening program and a targeted screening program on the basis of clinical suspicion. A carefully run targeted screening program identified 24.3% of the admissions for toxicology testing and would have found all but two of the infants with positive results.
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