Newborn screening in South Australia: is it universal?

Objective: To determine the biochemical screening rate of newborns in South Australia and the factors associated with babies not being screened.

Design: Matching of data in the SA Newborn Screening Centre database (acquired from Guthrie cards) with the SA perinatal data collection (compiled from supplementary birth records) to determine how many newborns missed screening. Risk factors for missed screening were identified from sociodemographic and clinical variables recorded in the perinatal data collection and analysed by multivariable unconditional logistic regression analysis.