Acceptability of newborn pulse oximetry screening

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the acceptance of the midwives regarding the use of newborn pulse oximetry screening (NPOS) over a four-year period in a UK tertiary maternity unit. Methods An electronic survey of 10 questions was emailed to all midwives working in the maternity unit. Feedback was requested on their experience of performing NPOS using a feasibility scale (1=easy to 10=difficult). Other qualitative feedback explored the perceived usefulness and recollection of positive screening outcomes. The collated feedback was analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. Results Complete responses were received from 99 of 236 (42%) midwives. The average scale rankings of 3.46 (pre-introduction) and 2.38 (post-introduction) indicates that the responding midwives were positive about NPOS (z=-4.5575; p<0.001) and 99% (n=98) felt it was an important screening tool. Of the midwives, 38 (39%) had at least one positive screening result. Conditions identified included cardiac anomalies, sepsis and diaphragmatic hernia. Conclusion Our single-centre survey suggests that the NPOS has been well accepted by the midwifery staff in this maternity unit.