Neonatal Screening Technologies and Ethics focuses on the expanding landscape of early diagnostic tools used to identify genetic, metabolic, endocrine, and sensory conditions before symptoms appear. This session examines how advancements in screening technology—ranging from mass spectrometry to genomic sequencing—are reshaping newborn care and introducing new ethical considerations around consent, data use, and long-term impact.

Clinicians, bioethicists, and programme leaders increasingly attend an Neonatology Conference to understand emerging tools, cost-effectiveness analysis, follow-up challenges, and global variations in screening panels. This session reviews traditional dried blood spot testing, point-of-care screening, newborn hearing tests, critical congenital heart disease screening, and pilot programmes using rapid whole-genome sequencing. Participants will explore sensitivity, specificity, false positives, and the clinical value of early detection for improving outcomes.

A central theme is developing responsible pediatric neonatal screening pathways that balance early diagnosis with ethical obligations to families. Case examples illustrate how screening results affect parental understanding, anxiety, and decision-making; how to communicate uncertain findings; and how screening interacts with cultural beliefs, local resources, and long-term follow-up availability.

The session examines data governance, storage, and privacy concerns, especially for genomic data collected in infancy. Attendees will consider issues of informed consent, recontact policies, equitable access, and the potential for misuse or misinterpretation of results. By the end, participants will be equipped to evaluate screening tools and design ethical, family-centred programmes.