HEALTH INFORMATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE TO EDUCATE AND GUIDE PARENTS IN NEONATAL SCREENING – AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Newborn screening was established in Brazil to identify diseases in newborns early, in order to offer
rapid diagnosis and treatment. The heel prick test is among the most important tests to be performed
in the first days of a newborn's life. Diseases such as phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism,
and sickle cell disease are examples of the many that can be detected through newborn screening.
However, it is necessary to address that, even though this screening is so important, parents of babies
may not know the essential nature of this service, and healthcare professionals report not receiving
the necessary training to provide this knowledge to parents. Thus, the objective of this study was to
identify, through a literature review, the importance of health education for parents at the time of
newborn screening, in order to prevent health problems, reduce the risks of infant mortality, and
detect current and future diseases early. To achieve this objective, an integrative literature review was
conducted in the Scielo, BVS, Lilacs, and Bdenf databases, considering articles in Portuguese and
English from the period 2015 to 2025. The search resulted in 384 articles, and after observing the
inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7 were selected for discussion. The search concluded that nursing
professionals are essential in conveying important information about neonatal screening to the parents
of newborns. However, there are still shortcomings in health education regarding neonatal screening,
both for parents and professionals. Thus, it is important to disseminate information about the newborn
screening test through awareness campaigns and to train professionals for proper guidance.