Examination of the newborn infant.
Child health surveillance means the professional monitoring of not only the physical, but also the mental, behavioural and emotional growth and development of children. Midwives, obstetricians and general practitioners should be able to carry out an examination. It is important to have information about the parents' medical history, drug history, social history and family history along with the pregnancy and delivery details. Some other points should also be noted at this early stage. Have any problems been identified already? Has the baby passed urine/meconium? Is the baby feeding well? It is now possible to test for numerous inherited disorders, in particular inborn errors of metabolism. The best rationale for screening is that parents like to hear that their child is normal and healthy or else know of any problems as soon as possible.
Fowlie
P
P
Forsyth
S
S
D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009721:Nurse Midwives; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010808:Physical Examination