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Most parents favor CMV testing
Din ES. Pediatrics. 2011;doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1444.
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More than 80% of parents surveyed favored routine testing for congenital cytomegalovirus, according to results of a study published online.
Researchers at the CDC synthesized data from a national survey that measured approximately 4,000 parents’ attitudes about cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening.
“Among most parents, costs, worry and anxiety associated with newborn screening for CMV would be acceptable,” they said.
Eighty-four percent of the parents surveyed said they would want their child screened, even if it was not part of the routine tests, and 87% would be willing to pay $20 for the test. About half said they “would worry that the CMV test would lead to unneeded doctor visits and expenses,” and 32% of parents said “CMV problems are too rare to worry about.”
The researchers said 80% of the parents were strongly or moderately in favor of testing, and 20% were weakly opposed.
The researchers said they characterized newborn screening for CMV infection as “a public health service rather than a public health emergency.” As such, “because most children with congenital CMV infection will not develop disabilities, and some parents might oppose screening, it is necessary to consider whether voluntary screening with informed decision-making would be more appropriate than mandatory screening.”
They said future studies should assess CMV screening and its psychosocial effects.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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