How Can Newborn Toxicology Testing be Equitable?

Sunday, April 30, 2023

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: Convention Center: 140 A

CE: Live CME: 1.50

Leader(s)

Kelsey Ryan, MD, FAAP (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Medical College of Wisconsin
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States

Co-Leader(s)

Rakhi Gupta Basuray, MD

Newborn Hospitalist
Nationwide Children's Hospital, United States
Leela Sarathy, MD, MSEd

Medical Director, Newborn Nursery Services
Mass General for Children
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
SO

Sharon Ostfeld-Johns, MD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Assistant Professor of Medicine
Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Armand Antommaria, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

Director, Ethics Center
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Erin Rholl, MD, MA (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor, Neonatologist & Pediatric Palliative Care Physician
Pediatrics
Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Steve Leuthner, MD, MA (he/him/his)

Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States
Christy Cummings, MD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure(s):

Kelsey S. Ryan, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Rakhi Gupta Basuray, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Leela Sarathy, MD, MSEd: No financial relationships to disclose

Sharon Ostfeld-Johns, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Armand H. Matheny Antommaria, MD, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Erin Rholl, MD, MA: No financial relationships to disclose

Steven R. Leuthner, MD, MA: No financial relationships to disclose

Christy L. Cummings, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Workshop

Description: Toxicology testing is performed on newborn infants for many reasons including evaluating prenatal substance exposure and breastfeeding safety. It has potential benefits and risks. Testing may identify infants and families who will benefit from supportive interventions. Inequitable application of screening, testing, medical intervention, and legal consequences of testing must also be acknowledged.
In the context of an accelerating opioid epidemic and a varied medico-legal landscape, this workshop will enable pediatricians to examine the ethical issues at play with newborn toxicology testing. Participants will hear from clinical and bioethical experts, share their own local context and expertise, and then explore potential solutions in small group case discussion. Participants will leave empowered to make changes in their own practice context. Participants with an interest in newborn medicine, general pediatrics, neonatology, bioethics, child protection, medico-legal advocacy, healthcare equity and high-value care are encouraged to attend. Participants need not practice newborn care to benefit from this workshop.
Workshop participants will alternate between large and small group activities. Each small group will be moderated by a workshop co-leader. Participants will leave with a discussion guide, personal written reflections, a summary of relevant professional guidelines, an overview of medico-legal variability, examples of institutional approaches, and a bibliography.

Learning Objectives:

Assess the potential benefits and harms of toxicology testing on the parent-infant dyad
Analyze varied approaches to newborn toxicology testing with regard to consent, bias and justice
Propose an equitable toxicology testing strategy for their own local context, identifying actionable areas for change or advocacy.