[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Neonatal Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism.]
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Faced with the prospect of a collapsed health system due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the professionals involved in the Neonatal Screening Programme (NSP) of Catalonia had to adapt to this situation in a flexible, forceful and efficient manner. The most important goals were to prevent the risk of infection in the professionals, in families and their newborns, as well as to ensure the same effectiveness for the early detection of the diseases included in our programme. To this end, the laboratory was reorganised by dividing the staff into groups and the spaces were redistributed. It was also necessary to modify several protocols and circuits, especially for the management of early discharges from maternity centres, and for the collection of the necessary second samples (from newborns with inconclusive results or for low quality samples). In general, a 36% reduction in the time of arrival of these second samples at the laboratory was achieved with respect to the previous circuit. In the specific case of cystic fibrosis detection, the implementation of a new strategy meant a 100% reduction in the request for second samples and a 70% reduction in the age of diagnosis of the newborn. After evaluating these changes, it can be concluded that in the face of the pandemic, the NSP of Catalonia showed determined leadership, aligning all its professionals, ensuring the continuity of the activity in the programme and generating new opportunities. The new processes and circuits implemented have been definitively consolidated, improving the efficiency of the programme.
Source: PubMed
Authors: Ana Argudo Ramírez, José Manuel González de Aledo Castillo, José Luis Marín Soria, Rosa María López Galera, Sonia Pajares García, Sabine Richard, Célia Bádenas Orquín, Cristina Martínez Bueno, Gemma Falguera Puig, Blanca Prats Viedma, Laia Asso Ministral, Judit García Villoria
Institutions: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer, Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases, Departament de Salut, Institut Català de la Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya, Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya
Language: Spanish
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3115742254