Hyperbilirubinemia

AOM CPG 18: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia (2026)

This updated CPG reviews evidence related to the prevention, screening, and treatment of severe hyperbilirubinemia in the otherwise healthy term and late preterm neonate. 

• This CPG uses the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology for guideline development. The GRADE tables describe how evidence informed the recommendation statements.

CPG Summary: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia (2026)

The updated CPG summary offers convenient access to some of the most essential content of the full revised CPG. For a complete analysis of the research relevant to midwives’ management of hyperbilirubinemia along with citations, please refer to the full guideline. 

2026 CPG: Overview of Key Updates  

This one-page overview explains the key updates in the AOM's revised CPG on the Management of Hyperbilirubinemia. It details what has changed and why it matters to midwives.  

Midwifery Resource: Clinical Pathway Manual (2026)

The updated Clinical Pathway Manual for Midwifery Hyperbilirubinemia Screening and Management of Phototherapy offers guidance on hyperbilirubinemia screening and midwifery management of phototherapy in the form of a care pathway. The pathway adopts the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) 2025 position statement’s hour-specific treatment thresholds and △TSB approach to guide care planning for infants who do not require treatment. 

Deferred cord clamping and hyperbilirubinemia - clinical data discussion (2022)

This clinical data discussion explores midwifery practice of deferred (or delayed) cord clamping and risk for hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy using BORN Ontario data. It provides key take away points to include in ICDs with clients and to use in advocacy with hospital colleagues. 

Midwifery Resource: Bilimeter Comparison

For midwives interested in purchasing a bilimeter, this resource aids in decision-making by offering a comparison of two bilimeter devices, the Dräger Jaundice Meter JM-105 and the Philips BiliChek.

Client Resources

What is jaundice? An updated resource for clients providing an overview of jaundice, its effects on a newborn, and screening and treatment options.

What is phototherapy and why does my baby need it? An updated resource for families whose infant requires phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia exploring what to expect during treatment (available in six additional languages).

Webinar

Highlights from the AOM’s 2019 Clinical Practice Guideline: 
Management of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia 

The AOM’s 18th CPG on management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is based on the latest evidence and midwifery philosophy of care. This webinar discusses the process taken to review and interpret evidence, and to make evidence-based recommendations regarding management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Presenters review the recommendations with unique midwifery considerations including the use of sunlight, visual assessment, and universal screening as well as accompanying knowledge translation tools and resources for midwives and clients.

Member-only content:

Risk Reference Sheet - Failure to Identify/Manage Hyperbilirubinemia
HIROC's Risk Reference Sheet on hyperbilirubinemia reviews themes from past incidents and opportunities to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Member-only content:

Sample protocols submitted by midwifery practices are available on postpartum topics for practices to download and adapt. Be sure to tailor the template to reflect current evidence, best practices and practice group/community specific info before use.