Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) Video Approval Process

South Carolina State Law, Section 44-37-50 requires that the Department of Health and Environmental Control must approve the video to be utilized by a hospital for providing education on Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents of newborns. If a hospital requests the Department to review a video, the following steps will be taken:

• The hospital will submit a copy of the desired video to ShakenBabySyndrome@dhec.sc.gov
• The Department will refer to the SBS Advisory group:
• DHEC Nurse Consultant (MCH Bureau)
• DHEC Medical Consultant (pediatric)
• March of Dimes representative
• DHEC Public Health Outreach Manager
• The SBS Advisory group will review the video for content based on the criteria established by the Medical Advisory group at the time legislation was created (see criteria below)
• The hospital will be notified of the decision within 10 business days of the receipt of the video.
• If the video is denied, the hospital can appeal the decision to the MCH Bureau Director.

Criteria for SC Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) Video:

• Shaken Baby Syndrome must be properly defined.
• Signs and symptoms of SBS must be presented.
• There must be an explanation on normal "crying behavior" in infants.
• Prevention techniques must be outlined.
• The video must be culturally diverse in presentation, preferably representative of the population in South Carolina.
• The video must be offered in English and Spanish.
• The video must be designed to educate a wide variety of audiences.
• The video must be approximately 10 minutes or less in length.

For questions, please contact ShakenBabySyndrome@dhec.sc.gov or the Bureau of Maternal & Child Health at 803-898-0871.