Screening of infants for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.

DESCRIPTION: Recommendation on screening newborn infants, based on a recent supplemental review of a 2003 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality evidence report on the effectiveness of various screening strategies for preventing the development of chronic bilirubin encephalopathy, performed at the request of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This topic has not been previously considered by the USPSTF.

METHODS: The USPSTF reviewed experimental and observational studies that included comparison groups. For harms associated with phototherapy, case reports or case series were also included.

CONCLUSION: The evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy (I statement).