Newborn Biliary Atresia Screening with the Stool Colour Card: a Questionnaire Survey of Parents

Overview

Journal BMJ Paediatr Open

Publisher BMJ Publishing Group

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2018 Jun 5

PMID 29862332

Citations 4

Authors

Morgane Borgeat

Simona Korff

Barbara E Wildhaber

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Biliary atresia can easily be screened using a stool colour card (SCC) and has shown to significantly reduce time to diagnosis, improving children's outcome. Despite the general approval of the clinical usefulness of the SCC, physicians remain reluctant: it might unnecessarily worry parents. This study aimed to analyse the parental reaction to this screening method and if it evokes parental stress.

Methods: A semistructured questionnaire was sent to parents with one or more healthy child to inquire about reactions on receipt and use of the SCC.

Results: 109/256 questionnaires were returned and evaluated (43%). 107/107 parents considered the SCC as helpful, a simple screening method and easy to use (100%). 26/43 were reassured when receiving the SCC (60%), 2 were worried (5%) and 9 had no particular feelings (21%). In 41/49, emotions experienced during its use were positive or neutral (84%), and 3 were worried (6%). In 41/50, the discussion with the paediatrician about stool colour-linked pathologies was neutral (82%), and 9 felt uneasy (18%).

Conclusion: A vast majority of parents appreciate the SCC. It creates uneasiness in a minority of parents. Our results are encouraging and argue in favour of implementing the regular distribution of the SCC in antenatal, postnatal and newborn infant clinics.

Citing Articles

Editorial: Elimination of biliary atresia.

Kotb M, Ieiri S, Shehata S Front Pediatr. 2023; 11:1202727.

PMID: 37284287 PMC: 10241068. DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1202727.

Biliary Atresia in 2021: Epidemiology, Screening and Public Policy.

Schreiber R, Harpavat S, Hulscher J, Wildhaber B J Clin Med. 2022; 11(4).

PMID: 35207269 PMC: 8876662. DOI: 10.3390/jcm11040999.

Province-Wide Stool Color Card Screening for Biliary Atresia in Lower-Saxony: Experiences with Passive Distribution Strategies and Results.

Madadi-Sanjani O, Kuebler J, Uecker M, Pfister E, Baumann U, Kunze-Hullmann B Int J Neonatal Screen. 2021; 7(4).

PMID: 34842600 PMC: 8629020. DOI: 10.3390/ijns7040075.

A retrospective study of the ideal operation time for preterm biliary atresia patients.

Jiao C, Yu K, Li D, Fu K, Wang P, He Y Pediatr Surg Int. 2019; 35(6):679-684.

PMID: 30805663 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-019-04464-7.

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