ASSIGNMENT | Watch this introductory clip from the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation.

This Chapter looks at the many causes of developmental differences including, metabolic disorders. In the section on PKU the text points to the newborn screening which saves many babies from this devastating disorder.

Watch this introductory clip from the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation. You can see the state map and additional resources on the various tabs.

After viewing, share your initial thoughts – what if the PKU test had not been developed or mandated??

http://www.savebabies.org/video.html

SAMPLE SOLUTION

PKU             The history of broad-based screening for PKU started in 1963 when, after the intervention of a significant improvement on tests for detecting PKU among infants, it led to mandatory screening in Massachusetts, thus making screening compulsory for every newborn under the law. If the PKU had not been developed or mandated, approximately 4 million newborns would not be undergoing screening every year to determine the presence of metabolic or genetic disorders (Kraszewski et al., 2006). At the same time, various tests under the law would have been different, and the practice standard among the nursing professionals and nurses would be different among communities. Failure to developing PKU (phenylketonuria) would have led to a reduction in the quality of standard of care for more than 40 years since the controversy surrounding the tests would have resulted in a reduction in the quality…