Child Health Surveillance

Question 1

What is done antenatally as a part of child health sureillance?

Answer 1

• Ensure intrauterine growth
• Check for maternal infections e.g. HIV
• Ultrasound scan for fetal abnormalities
• Blood tests for Neural Tube Defects

Question 2

What is done when the child is a newborn as a part of child health sureillance?

Answer 2

• Clinical examination of newborn
• Newborn Hearing Screening Programme e.g. oto-acoustic emissions test
• Give mother Personal Child Health Record

Question 3

What is done in the first month of life as a part of child health surveillance?

Answer 3

• Heel-prick test day 5-9
• Midwife visit up to 4 weeks - health visitors seem to take over at 2 weeks in practice.

Question 4

What diseases are tested for in the heel prick test?

Answer 4

1. Hypothyroidism
2. PKU
3. Metabolic diseases
   
   1. ​Homocystinuria
   2. Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
   3. Glutaric aciduria type 1
   4. Isovaleric acidaemia.
4. Cystic fibrosis
5. Medium-chain acyl Co-A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)
6. Sickle Cell Disease

Question 5

What is done in the next following months of life as a apart of child health surveillance?

Answer 5

• Health visitor input
• GP examination at 6-8 weeks
• Routine immunisations

Question 6

What is done in pre-school as a apart of child health surveillance?

Answer 6

National orthoptist-led programme for pre-school vision screening to be introduced