sareshtedari m 1 (md) , shahamat h 1 (md) , sadeghi t 2 * (msc)       1 department of pediatrics, school of medicine, qazvin university of medical sciences, qazvin, iran   2 department of pediatrics, school of nursing and midwifery, tehran university of medical sciences, tehran, iran     received: 22 jan 2011, accepted: 23 jun 2011       abstract     introduction: regarding the importance of me...

BACKGROUND Family-Centred Care (FCC) is recognized as an important component of all paediatric care, including neonatal care, although practical clinical guidelines to support this care model are still needed in Italy. The characteristics and services for families in Italian NICUs show a lack of organization and participation. METHODS The first aim was to compare satisfaction and stress level...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate Michigan newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) protocol changes. METHODS This population-based study includes infants born and screened in Michigan (January 1, 1994-June 30, 2010). Screening performance is compared across 4 periods defined by the dried blood spot testing method: (1) thyroxine (T4) with backup thyrotropin, (2) tandem T4 and thyrotropin, (3)...

OBJECTIVE To investigate parents' opinions about enrolling their premature baby into several research studies in the few days after birth. METHODOLOGY A questionnaire was given to parents of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit who had been invited to join several studies (two to seven). RESULTS All 50 mothers and 42 of 48 fathers completed the questionnaire independently; 2...

Around 20% of very low birthweight infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit become hypotensive within 24 hours of their admission. Standard treatment is either expansion of the circulating volume by the infusion of plasma protein fraction or by using dopamine to improve cardiac function. The purpose of this study was to investigate by a randomised controlled trial which was the most a...

We reviewed 388 very low birthweight infants admitted to this neonatal intensive care unit over a four year period to determine the pattern of neonatal and postneonatal deaths up to age 2 years. Neonatal mortality is no longer an adequate indicator of outcome because deaths arising from perinatal events occur after the first month of life.

A retrospective analysis of the outcome of inborn very low birthweight infants admitted to the neonatal unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies pre- (period 1) and post- (period 2) establishment of a neonatal intensive care unit was conducted. During the study, 250 infants were admitted to the neonatal unit, 132 (53%) during period 1 and 118 (47%) during period 2. There was improved ...

Interviews with 93 mothers of 109 low birthweight infants admitted to a regional neonatal intensive care unit showed that, although 82 (88%) mothers visited on a daily basis, some families faced considerable travelling difficulties. Five families travelled more than 100 miles and three families had twin siblings in different neonatal units. Analysis of the travelling and associated expenditure ...

Mothers of 144 preterm infants with varying degrees of neonatal illness were interviewed prior to their infants' discharge from neonatal intensive care. Their major concerns were for the infants' survival rather than their own welfare. Husbands, parents, and, for members, church were seen as the major sources of support.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to enhance the ability to coordinate and deliver care in a holistic manner, through a family-centered care map, so that the developmental, physical, and psychosocial needs of the infant and family are met. METHODS A Web-based map was based on 7 distinct clinical phases with 3 variations of an infant's course through a NICU. Sixty-three potentially bet...