Acceptability of newborn pulse oximetry screening.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]