I introduced legislation to catch undiagnosed heart conditions in children by ensuring that screening questions about family cardiac history and cardiac symptoms are incorporated in all annual physicals and sports physicals for children 19 and under. It would also institute a professional development module for health care practitioners who perform these screening to increase their effectiveness. The Department of Health would keep a record of these exams and the number of resulting referrals to a cardiologist in order to analyze the effectiveness of the program and recommend potential changes.
In many cases, children with heart issues have no symptoms and their conditions are not discovered until they become much more serious and potentially deadly. This bill is a first step to improve awareness and detection of juvenile heart disease in Rhode Island. I want to thank Matt Grant for bringing this issue to me and for working diligently on the legislation with stakeholders.