Don't refuse the newborn heel-prick blood screening and hearing screening

High value
Evidence A
Buys life
For: Pregnant or trying, Child under 3
Costs a little
Takes minutes
No willpower

In plain words

One heel-prick blood sample and one hearing test can find hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria and hearing impairment while the baby looks completely normal. By the time symptoms show, the damage to intelligence can no longer be made up.

Cost: Free in most areas, or a few dozen CNY. Some extended items you pay for yourself. A heel prick once after the baby is born.
What you get: Article 3 of the Measures for the Administration of Newborn Disease Screening (《新生儿疾病筛查管理办法》): “The diseases screened nationwide in newborns include congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria and other newborn genetic and metabolic diseases, and hearing impairment.” These two kinds of conditions share one feature: in the early period nothing abnormal can be seen, and by the time symptoms are obvious the damage to intelligence is irreversible. Early detection and early intervention work very well, through thyroid hormone, a special formula, hearing aids or a cochlear implant. Article 10 provides that when the screening result is positive, the institution must promptly notify the guardian to go for a confirmatory diagnosis.
Notes: Article 11 of the Measures requires that before screening, the items, conditions, methods, sensitivity (how much it can detect) and cost be truthfully explained to the guardian, who then signs to consent. So you will get an informed consent form. Read it carefully before signing: which diseases are the ones the state prescribes, and which are self-paid add-ons. A positive first screen is not a diagnosis, and in the great majority of cases a repeat test rules it out, so don't fall apart at this step. If the first hearing screen is not passed, go for the re-screening as notified, and don't decide on your own that “the baby can hear, so that's enough.”
Evidence grade: A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: 卫生部 (2009). 新生儿疾病筛查管理办法（卫生部令第 64 号，第三、十、十一条）. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2009/content_1371363.htm

Mentioned in

Watch for the signs of newborn jaundice: yellow within 24 hours of birth, getting more yellow, can't be woken or won't feed, pale stool, and go to the hospital the same day

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 27, tip 13. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer