Risk Screening
What is the Healthy Start Risk Screen?
Florida Statute 383.14 requires that all pregnant women be offered the Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screening at their first or consequent prenatal visit and the Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal) Risk Screening be offered to parents/guardians of all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivery facility. Healthy Start Risk Screens identify risk factors so women and infants may be referred for services that complement and assure continued participation in prenatal and infant health care.
How were the Risk Screens developed?
The Healthy Start Risk Screens (prenatal & infant) were developed by a workgroup including physicians, nurses, social workers, researchers, program specialists and other professionals who are knowledgeable in the field of maternal and child health. The Risk Screening Forms were created after extensive research and analysis of risk factors and after a statewide advisory council approved the forms. Screening forms are available in English, Spanish & Creole.
Are the Risk Screens evaluated for validity?
The Prenatal & Infant Risk Screens have been evaluated to determine their success in identifying those women and infants most at risk for adverse outcomes. Current studies linking birth outcomes to Healthy Start Screening data suggest that both screening instruments are effective. Studies indicate that:
The Healthy Start Prenatal Screen is:
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- Predictive of preterm birth (34 weeks since LMP) and LBW< 2000 Grams.
- 25.2% of the 104,679 women screened had a positive score screen of 6+.
- 18.2% of women with a positive screen had an adverse birth.
- 41.8% of preterm and low birth wright births were classified as having a positive screen.
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- Predictive of postneonatal death: 57.9% of postneonatal deaths occur among the infants who had a positive score screen of 4+.
- 16.7% of infants screened had a positive score screen of 4+.
- Infants who score 4 or more on the Healthy Start Infant Screen are 6.37 times more likely to die during the postneonatal period (28 -364 days after birth) than those who scored negatively.
- A birthweight of less that 2,000 grams, having one or more selected abnormal conditions, and having an infant transferred within 24 hours of delivery are major risk factors of postneonatal death.
What is the goal of Risk Screening?
Healthy Start Risk Screening is the collection of information on the provided prenatal & infant (postnatal) screening forms. The Risk Screen is scored to assess risk and identify those infants most at risk for adverse health outcomes. Screening is the first step to identify Healthy Start service recipients. It is our goal to ensure that all newborns and pregnant women are screened for risk factors. The majority of pregnant women and infants will not be eligible for Healthy Start services as they will not have the risk factors required. However, the data collected in the Risk Screen enables the State of Florida to analyze the factors that have the greatest impact on birth outcomes and the factors that most affect residents of our County.
The Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade staff monitors the trends for the both of the Healthy Start Risk Screening Forms. The following reports show the current available trends found from 2014 – present Calendar Year:
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