Metabolic screening in the NICU population: a proposal for change

To be an effective preventive pediatric and public health strategy, newborn screening for hereditary metabolic disorders should include 100% of all neonates as the target population. Delaying screening for critically-ill and premature infants places the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population at high risk for developing devastating side effects of untreated or late-treated metabolic diseases. A clinical nursing project was undertaken in The Johns Hopkins Hospital NICU to develop specific metabolic screening criteria for this special population.