[Beginnings, evolution and current situation of the Newborn Screening Programs in Spain.].

Newborn Screening Programs (NSP) in Spain were born in the city of Granada in 1968. Till the 1980s, they were developed around the so-called "National Plan for Preventing Subnormality", covering up to 30% of the Spanish newborns. From 1982, when the health system management was transferred to the different autonomous regions, the NSP began to expand, and the bases to transform them into an organized and multidisciplinary activity, integrated and coordinated from the National Health System were settled.

[50 years of the Neonatal Screening Program in Catalonia.].

The Catalonian Newborn Screening Program (CNSP) began in 1969, in Barcelona. It was promoted by Dr. Juan Sabater Tobella and supported by Barcelona Provincial Council and Juan March Foundation.

[Impact of the inclusion of second-tier tests in the newborn screening program of Catalonia and in other international programs.].

Objective: Newborn screening programmes (NBSP) have experienced a qualitative breakthrough due to the implementation of tandem mass spectrometry. However, the tests used give rise to false positives (FP) generating an excessive request for second samples with the consequent anxiety of the families. In order to avoid this problem several programmes have developed second-tier tests (2TT).