1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The eight papers in this symposium have been brought together to help practicing pediatricians evaluate the place of screening, and of particular screening procedures, in their own practices and in programs of child health care in which they participate.
Advancing technology is making available an increasing number of tests and observations which might be employed in the early detection of health problems. The Federal government has mandated an Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program for all Medicaid eligible children, and California has mandated health screening for school attendance. With this kind of pressure to "screen," how should the pediatrician react? We hope that this symposium will help him decide. The first two papers discuss definitions and criteria, the following five illustrate the application of these criteria in specific areas of current interest and controversy, and the final paper attempts to summarize the current status of screening and to predict some future directions for screening in the health care of children.