Excerpt

To assist the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in updating its 1996 recommendation on screening for hemoglobinopathies in newborns, staff at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) performed a literature search and consulted with subject area experts. The goal of this targeted review was to find new, high-quality evidence regarding the benefits and potential harms of screening for hemoglobinopathies in newborns. Sixty-nine studies were initially identified. The literature search methodology is described in Appendix I. One systematic review of benefits of screening, one systematic review of benefits of penicillin prophylaxis, and three articles about potential harms met inclusion criteria and are discussed in the following review.

Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Evidence of the Benefits of Screening for Hemoglobinopathies in Newborns
• 3. Evidence of the Harms of Screening for Hemoglobinopathies in Newborns
• 4. Recent Recommendations from Other Groups
• 5. Emerging Issues and Research Gaps
• 6. Conclusion
• Appendix: Literature Search Process for the Reaffirmation Update
• References

Suggested citation:

Lin K, Barton M. Screening for Hemoglobinopathies in Newborns: Reaffirmation Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Evidence Synthesis No. 52. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, August 2007. AHRQ Publication No. 07-05104-EF-1. Available at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/serfiles.htm#sicklecell.

The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s), who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The information in this report is intended to help clinicians, employers, policymakers, and others make informed decisions about the provision of health care services. This report is intended as a reference and not as a substitute for clinical judgment.