Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41133707›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of neonatal screening2025

Challenges Faced by Healthcare Professionals in Screening Newborns for Congenital Heart Defects in Pakistan.

Ijaz Ul Haq, Muhammad Imran Khan, Amir Muhammad, Majid Ali, Xiaojing Hu, Guo-Ying Huang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of neonatal screening, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ijaz Ul HaqNational Management Office of Neonatal Screening Project for CHD, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4852-2938
Muhammad Imran KhanDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0009-0006-9791-6729
Amir MuhammadPediatrics Department, Lady Reading Hospital, MTI, Peshawar 25000, Khyber Pukhtunkhawa, Pakistan.ORCID 0000-0001-9152-3269
Majid AliDepartment of Public Health, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi 46000, Punjab, Pakistan.ORCID 0009-0008-8349-5390
Xiaojing HuNational Management Office of Neonatal Screening Project for CHD, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China.
Guo-Ying HuangNational Management Office of Neonatal Screening Project for CHD, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China.

Funding

Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation Project Self-funded Project of Xiamen), 2024D029Major Scientific Research Project Funding Plan for High-Quality Development of Science and Technology in the Health Field of Xiamen City (2024GZL-ZD04Shanghai Science and Technology Commission 23DZ2203000, 24DZ2202800)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early and timely screening for congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the key challenges for healthcare professionals (HPs). This study aimed to identify barriers to the screening of CHD among healthcare professionals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted among HPs working in public and private hospitals, and data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 10.0 software until saturation following Braun and Clarke's framework. Data were reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). Participants reported critical gaps in CHD screening, including scarce resources such as a lack of pulse oximeters and echocardiography machines, inadequate training, and overburdened staff struggling with high patient volumes. Emotional distress was common when diagnosing severe CHDs, compounded by parental reluctance due to low awareness and socioeconomic barriers, including costs and travel distances. Operational inefficiencies, such as inconsistent protocols, weak referral systems, and paper-based record-keeping, further delayed diagnoses. Despite these challenges, HPs emphasized the potential of standardized screening tools, interdisciplinary coordination, and community education to improve detection rates. CHD screening in Pakistan is impeded by resource limitations, systemic fragmentation, and sociocultural factors. Prioritizing equipment procurement, HP training, public awareness campaigns, and policy-mandated screening protocols could enhance early detection.

Indexed as

challengescongenital heart diseasehealth systems barriersneonatescreening

Identifiers

PMID41133707
PMCPMC12551085

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.