Volume 201 - Issue 10
Newborn bloodspot screening: setting the Australian national policy agenda
Authors: Craig A White and Karla Lister
Med J Aust 2014; 201 (10): 577. || doi: 10.5694/mja14.01167
Published online: 17 November 2014
Published online: 17 November 2014
There has been progress towards achieving clearer national policies and a way to assess the benefits and harms of screening
To the Editor: Maxwell and O'Leary's article1 and Wiltshire and Cameron's letter2 provide insights into the current issues facing newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) in Australia. It is clear that we have world-class NBS programs, but there is a lack of national policy guidance agreed on by governments. It has been argued that this has affected the programs' capacity to respond to the changing environment in which they operate.1,3,4 There is a need for clear national policies to support the programs' continued success and growth, and a way to assess the benefits and harms of screening additional conditions through NBS.5 Since the aforementioned articles were published, there has been substantial progress towards achieving these goals.
Australian governments have recently agreed to develop a national policy framework for NBS. This will include a decision-making pathway, against which congenital adrenal hyperplasia and other conditions can be assessed for inclusion in NBS. The policy framework is being developed under the auspices of the Standing Committee on Screening, through a multidisciplinary working group. The project is due for completion by early 2016, and will be informed by broad consultation, due to take place in 2015. Further information can be found at http://www.genomics.health.wa.gov.au.
The current process is a genuine opportunity for policymakers, NBS programs, clinicians, consumers and others to come together to put in place a framework that builds on the successes of NBS, safeguards the programs into the future, and enables transparent and consistent decision making.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Maxwell SJ, O'Leary P. Newborn bloodspot screening: setting the Australian national policy agenda. Med J Aust 2014; 200: 142-143. 1
- Wiltshire E, Cameron F. Newborn bloodspot screening: setting the Australian national policy agenda [letter]. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 91-94. 2
- Warne GL, Armstrong KL, Faunce TA, et al. The case for newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia in Australia. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 107. lefthere
- Carpenter K. Newborn screening – 50 years on. Human Genetics Society of Australasia News [internet] 2013; 11 May. http://www.hgsa.org.au/news/newborn-screening-50-years-on (accessed Aug 2014).
- Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council, Screening Subcommittee. Population based screening framework. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2008. http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/pop-based-screening-fwork/$File/screening-framework.pdf (accessed Sep 2014).