Document Type
Article
Department
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Paediatrics and Child Health
Abstract
Objective: Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) at our hospital during this study was by measurement of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in serum samples. This audit was conducted over a 2 year period, to determine the compliance of reporting of results greater than the screening cutoffs for serum TSH. Gaps of non-compliance were identified, and re-audit was undertaken after the corrective actions were taken.
Results: The critical limit was defined as serum TSH (≥ 20 µIU/ml) following consultation with a pediatric endocrinologist. All results above this limit were reported urgently to physicians. During the audit period, 27,407 tests were performed, 0.7% had a value of ≥ 20 µIU/ml, of those only 62% were reported to the general paediatrician or neonatologist. Reasons for not reporting results included non-availability of contact information, lack of policy awareness by technologists, critical results not highlighted on the computer display, and absence of regular monitoring. Corrective measures were taken, and re-audit was done. During the re-audit period, a total of 22,985 tests was performed, 0.6% had a value of ≥ 20 µIU/ml. Of these, 77% were reported to the general paediatrician or neonatologist. Critical result reporting was improved after the audit, and further enhanced the laboratory service of CH screening.
Publication ( Name of Journal)
BMC Research Notes
Recommended Citation
Majid, H.,
Ahmed, S.,
Siddiqui, I.,
Humayun, K.,
Karimi, H.,
Khan, A. H.
(2020). Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism: Improvement in short-term follow-up by audit and monitoring. BMC Research Notes, 13(1), 563.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_pathol_microbiol/1306
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
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