title: Should routine peripheral blood glucose testing be done for all newborns at birth?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the (1) incidence of peripheral blood glucose (PBG < 40 mg/dL) in infants within 2 hours of birth and (2) validity of using maternal and infant risk factors and/or infant signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia as a screen for PBG < 40 mg/dL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study with a convenience sample of 220 mother-infant dyads admitted to a mother-baby unit. Maternal and infant risk factors and infant signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia were assessed, and a PBG value was obtained within 2 hours of birth from the infant. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and sensitivity and specificity testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of PBG < 40 mg/dL was 5.1% (N = 10 of 198). Fifteen maternal/infant risk factors were found; 2 of the 23 risk factors predicted PBG values within 2 hours of birth at a statistically significant level (jitteriness [p = .011] and tachypnea [p = .033]). Sensitivity was 71.9% and specificity 44.7% for using the presence of at least one maternal/infant risk factor and/or infant signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia to correctly identify PBG < 40 mg/dL within 2 hours of birth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses working with mothers and infants can use the data from our study along with the recommendations from professional organizations such as American Academy of Pediatrics to begin a conversation at their institutions about revising protocols for routine PBG testing. Screening infants for maternal/infant risk factors and infant signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia could be used instead to safely decrease by 45% the number of infants who would need to have a PBG sample obtained within 2 hours of birth.
authors.affiliation: Mother-Baby Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoops
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van  Winkle
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trauschke
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mauton
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: DeGhelder
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scalise
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cato
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kautz
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Whaley
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D047929:Term Birth; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose