Assessment and screening in the healthy neonate

Assessment is an essential skill for any health professional working with neonates, which then forms the basis of any decision and subsequent intervention. It is important to ascertain and understand what normal assessment criteria are, so that any deviations can be noted and appropriate intervention undertaken. Assessment should be individualised to the specific neonate, situation or condition, holistically considering all systems including the family and psychosocial needs. This section focuses on assessment of the healthy term neonate (Tables 4.1 to 4.4) at birth and thereafter, including screening (Figure 4.1, Tables 4.5 to 4.7).