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Newborn Screening Ontario
About Screening

Test Addition Process

How is a disease nominated for newborn screening in Ontario?

What happens when a disease is nominated?

  • Once nomination forms are received, they are sent to the Chair to be reviewed at a meeting of the NSO-AC.The nomination may be considered by the NSO-AC, and/or be referred to the Maternal Child Sub-Committee (MCSC) of the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health (PCMCH).
  • The NSO-AC uses the committee discussion framework to determine whether a) the condition is a potential candidate for newborn screening and warrants further detailed review, or b) the condition is not an appropriate target for newborn screening at the time. A formal response is communicated back to the nominator following this meeting.
  • If the NSO-AC decides that a more in depth review is indicated, a task force is struck to review the evidence for screening for that disease using published literature and experience from other newborn screening programs. Once the full review form is complete (which can take several months), the task force presents their findings to the NSO-AC.
  • Based on the findings of the task force, the NSO-AC recommends screening for the disease, does not recommend screening for the disease, or requests additional information in order to make their decision.
  • The NSO-AC may engage with other provincial partners during or after the above process to further inform or refine recommendation(s).
  • If a recommendation to begin screening for a disease is made by the NSO-AC, a formal report is sent to the Government of Ontario, which makes the ultimate decision whether to approve and commit funding to screening for the disease.

For more information on other activities of the NSO-AC, please visit our Advisory Council page or contact the NSO-AC by e-mailing nsoac@cheo.on.ca.

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