What to Expect
Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) is the program that coordinates newborn screening in Ontario, Canada.
NSO is located at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa.
The image below takes you through the newborn screening process step-by-step, from parent education, sample collection and transportation to laboratory testing and results.
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Before Birth
Doctors, midwives, nurses, and prenatal educators help families learn about newborn screening
Introduction to newborn screening in Ontario
For other questions about newborn screening, please contact us.
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Shortly After Birth
A small sample of blood is taken from the baby's heel. A quick and painless test may also be done to screen for Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD). Parents/guardians are given a Poop Card, or Infant Stool Colour Card (ISCC), and instructed to screen for Biliary Atresia for the first month of life.
The optimal time for screening is between 24 to 48 hours after birth
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The sample of blood is dropped onto a special type of paper on the newborn screening card
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Parents are given the "Parent Information Letter"
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Health care provider fills out information about the baby on the newborn screening card
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The newborn screening sample is sent to NSO for testing via courier
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The sample is tested for more than 25 diseases.
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Results are sent to the health care provider who ordered the test. Family doctors can access results securely online.
Results of CCHD screening are available at the time the screen is done.
After testing is finished, newborn screening samples are stored in a secure facility as part of the baby's medical record.
Learn more about the storage and use of newborn screening samples
