An update on the use of health information technology in newborn screening.
Newborn screening (NBS) has high-stakes health implications and requires rapid and effective communication between many people and organizations. Multiple NBS stakeholders worked together to create national guidance for reporting NBS results with HL7 (Health Level 7) messages that contain LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) and SNOMED-CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms) codes, report quantitative test results, and use standardized computer-readable UCUM units of measure. This guidance (a LOINC panel and an example annotated HL7 message) enables standard HL7 v2.5.1 laboratory messages to carry the information required for reporting NBS results. Other efforts include HL7 implementation guides for reporting point-of-care (POC) NBS results as well as standardizing follow-up of patients diagnosed with conditions identified through NBS. If the guidance is used nationally, regional and national registries can aggregate results from state programs to facilitate research and quality assurance and help ensure continuity of operations following a disaster situation.
Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, 38A/07N711, MSC 3828, Bethesda, MD 20894; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN.
Swapna
S
Abhyankar
Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, 38A/07N711, MSC 3828, Bethesda, MD 20894. Electronic address: rebecca.goodwin@nih.gov.
Rebecca M
RM
Goodwin
Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Denver, CO.
Marci
M
Sontag
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Silver Spring, MD.
Careema
C
Yusuf
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Silver Spring, MD.
Jelili
J
Ojodu
Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, 38A/07N711, MSC 3828, Bethesda, MD 20894.
Clement J
CJ
McDonald
D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D039703:Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000639:trends; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000639:trends*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D039061:Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine