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# Newborn screening in Colombia: heel-prick metabolic tests, hearing, pulse oximetry and the red reflex (Ley 1980 de 2019)

- Safe practice

Every newborn in Colombia has the right to free metabolic, hearing, visual and heart screening; the nurse takes or checks each test and its result.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Ley 1980 de 2019, Art. 3: free, compulsory and progressive screening of every live newborn; at least basic metabolic, hearing and visual.
- Ley 1980, Art. 12: the parents are informed in advance and give written consent.
- Resolución 117 de 2026: phenylketonuria, galactosemia, cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, biotinidase deficiency and haemoglobin disorders added to congenital hypothyroidism.
- Heel-prick sample between 48 and 72 hours of life (MinSalud, 2026).
- Pulse oximetry at 24 hours, right hand and a foot: abnormal if below 90 % or with a difference above 3 %.

## What it is

Screening finds serious conditions in babies who still look well, so treatment starts before harm is done. Ley 1980 de 2019 created Colombia's Newborn Screening Programme: every live newborn has the right, progressively, compulsorily and free of charge, to at least basic metabolic, hearing and visual screening. Resolución 117 de 2026 added six conditions to the metabolic test, which had covered only congenital hypothyroidism, and frames screening in four parts: visual, hearing, critical congenital heart disease and endocrine–metabolic. The nurse informs the parents, obtains written consent, takes or checks each test, records it and makes sure abnormal results lead to referral.

## What it requires

- Ley 1980, Art. 4: the Instituto Nacional de Salud coordinates the programme and issues the technical guidelines for sampling, transport and reporting.
- Ley 1980, Art. 9: insurers and providers guarantee sampling, transport, results and lifelong follow-up of positive cases.
- Hearing screening is compulsory under Resolution 3280: otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response, ideally at 24 hours or before discharge.
- Visual screening: eye inspection and the red reflex; an abnormal result is referred to paediatrics.
- MinSalud's 2026 goal: at least 79 % of newborns screened for the six new conditions by the end of 2026.

## Components

- Endocrine–metabolic: dried blood spot from a heel prick on the programme's filter card.
- Hearing: otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response; both for babies at high risk.
- Critical congenital heart disease: preductal and postductal pulse oximetry.
- Visual: inspection and the red reflex.
- Records: the clinical record, the child health card and the programme's information system.

## How it is applied (and why)

- Explain each test to the parents and obtain their written consent — the law requires it and parents who understand collect results.
- Take the heel-prick sample at the time the programme sets, with the INS technique, and send it as instructed — a sample taken too early or badly fails.
- Measure saturation on the right hand and on a foot at 24 hours and record both — a low value or a gap can reveal heart disease.
- Repeat the oximetry at 48 hours if the baby is still in hospital — Resolution 3280 asks for it.
- Check the eyes and the red reflex, or confirm the doctor did — finds cataract and other eye problems early.
- Do or arrange the hearing screen before discharge; if it is not possible, book it in the early-childhood route — late detection harms language.
- Record each test and result in the clinical record and the child health card — the next visit can check them.
- Tell the parents to collect pending results and bring them to the newborn check — results that never arrive help no one.
- Refer any abnormal result at once along the care route — treatment works best when it starts early.

## In nursing practice

- A failed pulse oximetry screen does not always mean heart disease (breathing problems also lower saturation), and a passed screen does not rule it out.
- If the hearing screen cannot be completed in the first 7 days, it must be done within the early-childhood health route.
- Babies with risk factors for hearing loss (for example prematurity, intensive care stay, low Apgar, family history) need both hearing tests.
- Under the law, laboratories that run the tests must be registered with the INS and accredited.

## Common mistakes

- Taking the heel-prick sample before the time the programme sets.
- Skipping the written consent or the explanation to the parents.
- Not recording the tests or their results.
- Discharging the baby without telling the family how to obtain pending results.
- Postponing the hearing screen without booking it.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What does Article 3 of Ley 1980 de 2019 guarantee to every live newborn in Colombia?

Free, compulsory and progressive newborn screening, at least basic metabolic, hearing and visual screening.

## When is the heel-prick screening sample taken, according to MinSalud's 2026 update?

Between 48 and 72 hours after birth.

## When is the pulse oximetry screen for congenital heart disease abnormal, according to Resolution 3280?

When saturation is below 90 % or the difference between right hand and foot is more than 3 %.

## What does Ley 1980 de 2019 require before screening, according to Article 12?

Informing the parents in advance about its purpose and consequences, and their written consent.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/newborn-screening-in-colombia-heel-prick-metabolic-tests-hearing-pulse-oximetry/)

## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia

- [Principles of screening](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/principles-of-screening/)

## Connections

## Related 2

- [Immediate care of the newborn](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/immediate-care-of-the-newborn/)
- [Pulse oximetry at the bedside: placement and pitfalls](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/pulse-oximetry-at-the-bedside-placement-and-pitfalls/)

## Related conditions 2

- [Congenital hypothyroidism](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/congenital-hypothyroidism/)
- [Phenylketonuria (PKU)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/phenylketonuria/)

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Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.

Sources: [Ley 1980 de 2019, por medio de la cual se crea el Programa de Tamizaje Neonatal en Colombia (Diario Oficial 51.026)](https://normograma.supersalud.gov.co/compilacion/docs/ley_1980_2019.htm) (Superintendencia Nacional de Salud de Colombia, Normograma, 2019); [MinSalud amplía el tamizaje neonatal: seis nuevas pruebas obligatorias para todos los recién nacidos (Resolución 117 de 2026)](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Comunicaciones/noticias/2026/Paginas/minsalud-amplia-tamizaje-neonatal.aspx) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2026); [Resolución 3280 de 2018: lineamientos técnicos y operativos de la Ruta de Promoción y Mantenimiento de la Salud y de la Ruta Materno Perinatal](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/resolucion-3280-de-2018.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2018); [Screening for critical congenital heart defects](https://www.cdc.gov/heart-defects/screening/index.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2025).

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/newborn-screening-in-colombia-heel-prick-metabolic-tests-hearing-pulse-oximetry/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/newborn-screening-in-colombia-heel-prick-metabolic-tests-hearing-pulse-oximetry/