Quality assurance in screening programmes.

All screening programmes do harm; some also do good. The responsibility of the policy-maker is to decide which programmes do more good than harm at reasonable cost and then introduce them, once they are confident that the screening programme could and will reach the standard of quality required for success. The ratio of benefit to harm is not, however, constant and this relationship demonstrates a shifting balance.     

产前肾上腺皮质激素治疗对新生儿呼吸窘迫综合征的治疗价值

目的 探讨产前肾上腺皮质激素在新生儿呼吸窘迫综合征治疗中的作用.方法 对本院收治的新生儿呼吸窘迫综合征患儿90例进行回顾性分析,产前使用肾上腺皮质激素者为观察组,未使用肾上腺皮质激素者为对照组,比较两组治疗疗效.结果 观察组有效率为81.82%,对照组有效率为62.86%,观察组鼻导管吸氧时间、头罩吸氧时间、呼气末正压通气时间、机械通气时间和平均治疗时间明显小于对照组（P〈0.05）.结论 产前使用肾上腺皮质激素,可明显提高产后新生儿呼吸窘迫综合征的治疗效果,减少呼吸支持时间和治疗时间.     

Issues underlying the evaluation of screening programmes.

Screening programmes have the potential to prevent premature death and disability and to improve quality of life, but they also have the potential for harm. Identifying worthwhile screening programmes, developing the correct strategies, and implementing them effectively is no easy task. A much more critical approach to screening is now being adopted and efforts are being made to ensure that new programmes of proven benefit and which are acceptable to the public, are effectively and equitably implemented in the community. We hope that this issue will stimulate further discussion and debate.     

Attitude of rural Nigerian pregnant women to antenatal HIV screening

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitude of rural Nigerian women to the incorporation of HIV screening as part of the routine antenatal screening test at booking. METHODS: 1 820 women were interviewed using a close ended questionnaire at the antenatal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, Nigeria over a period of 12 months. RESULTS: Though the majority of the women were of low socio-economic status (85.9%) with 20% having less than six years of formal education, 98.6% of them were aware and knowledgeable (89.1%) about HIV/AIDS. The majority (89.9%) of the women accept routine HIV screening as part of antenatal screening. CONCLUSION: Based on the above findings, obstericians practicing in this locality are encouraged to incorporate HIV screening into their antenatal care.