Abstract
Newborn screening program in the Czech Republic includes 10 inherited metabolic disorders and its expansion is planned as a result of ongoing pilot study. Which disorders should be added and what criteria used for their selection are the key ethical questions closely connected with every screening panel expansion.
Traditional screening criteria can function as guildelines even if their universal appicability has been questioned by new biotechnologies and scientific progress. Apart from the benefit from early diagnosis and effective treatment the newborn screening program also poses risks from false-positive and false-negative results as well as detection of conditions with no clinical signifikance.
Before adding a new disorder o the screening panel it is necessary to evaluate the balance between health benefits and potential harms. Furthermore it is importatnt to assess its cost-effectiveness also from the perspective of the whole healthcare ssystem.
All newborn screening programs need to evaluate these aspects regularly also fot already established panel of diseases and search for new biotechnological solutions to minimize associaed risks. Another essential task is to provide parents with all the necessary information in accessible form.