Table 2.

Formalised screening program versus vital sign documentation.

Screening Program	Hospital Led/5th Vital Sign
Meeting screening test criteria, Competing with other national screening programs for funding	More easily achievable without a complex application process
Research based: almost 500,000 babies tested	Harder to justify as not linked to CCHD research
Country-wide introduction, mandated, uniformity of coverage	Gaps in provision, Ad Hoc screening
Properly resourced and funded. Quality improvement more easily achieved	Resourcing is not excessive so achievable by most hospitals
CHD is a tested hard outcome	Importance of other diagnoses and timing of the test
Follows existing research based algorithms: reduced flexibility	Delink from CCHD terminology: reduces pressure from false positives and need for echocardiogram.