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Newborn Blood Spot Screening in Four Countries: Stakeholder Involvement

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Abstract

While newborn blood spot screening has historically been viewed as a public health success, the potential harms and benefits are more finely balanced for new conditions being considered for program expansion. We highlight complex issues that must be addressed in policy decisions, which in turn requires a consideration of many stakeholder perspectives. Using national policy documents from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada, we describe the participation of stakeholder organizations in the newborn screening policy process, how such organizations have incorporated stakeholder views into their own policy writing, and their recommendations for inclusiveness. Stakeholder participation in newborn screening decision-making is widely acknowledged as important, and many methods have been endorsed – consultation as well as direct or indirect input into policy development. Differences across organizations and jurisdictions raise questions about the most effective approaches for facilitating inclusiveness, suggesting a need for formal evaluative research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all of the individuals at various stakeholder organizations who provided us with information for our review. We gratefully acknowledge Peter O’Leary and David Elliman, who provided comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We take full responsibility for any errors or omissions. This project was supported by a Stichting Porticus Foundation Scholarship (BKP) and by a Canadian Institute of Health Research post-doctoral fellowship (BKP).

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  1. Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada

    Beth K Potter & Brenda J Wilson

  2. Centre de recherche en droit public, Faculty of Law, University of Montreal, Canada

    Denise Avard

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  1. Beth K Potter
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  2. Denise Avard
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  3. Brenda J Wilson
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Correspondence to Beth K Potter.

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This review of stakeholder involvement in policies about newborn blood spot screening in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada raises questions about the most effective approaches to facilitate inclusiveness in policymaking.

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Potter, B., Avard, D. & Wilson, B. Newborn Blood Spot Screening in Four Countries: Stakeholder Involvement. J Public Health Pol 29, 121–142 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200161

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