OBJECTIVE To calculate and compare costs of neonatal intensive care by micro-costing and gross-costing methods. METHODS The costs of resources of a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit were estimated by the two methods to arrive at specific costs per diagnosis related categories for 33 neonates followed-up prospectively. RESULTS Gross-costing as compared to micro-costing resulted in h...

A cohort of very low birthweight infants (less than 1500 g) born in 1979-81 from a geographically defined area was followed up, and a costing of the initial admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was made. A four point scale for the severity of disability was used and estimation of the costs of education and full time residential care was made and discounted at 5% over the appropriate pe...

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to determine the rates of non-adherence to standard steps of medication administration and medication administration errors committed by registered nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit before and after intervention. METHODS A baseline assessment of compliance with ten standard medication administration steps by neonatal intensive care unit nurses was carried ...

BACKGROUND Limited research has been conducted to assess family needs in neonatal intensive care units. Health care providers often make assumptions about what families need, but these assumptions are unfounded and can lead to inappropriate conclusions. When assessed appropriately, family needs can be incorporated into individualized plans of care, enhancing family-centered care. OBJECTIVE To...

Medical and technological advances in neonatology have prompted the initiation and expansion of developmentally supportive services for newborns and have incorporated rehabilitation professionals into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) multidisciplinary team. Availability of therapists specialized in the care of neonates, the roles of rehabilitation professionals, and models of service del...

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) face many challenges to their health and survival. The combination of stress, pain, isolation from parents, aversive stimuli and multiple caregivers in the NICU can intensify their challenges. To address from a music therapy perspective some of the negative effects of the NICU on premature infants, I conducted a pilot study at MCP Hahnemann Hos...

The development of 43 infants born at full term, who were admitted to neonatal intensive care units shortly after birth, was compared in a prospective longitudinal study with that of a group of 29 healthy newborn babies. Thirty infants required emergency operations during the neonatal period, and 13 were admitted for medical reasons. The effects of being in hospital and being separated from the...

A cluster of 4 cases of meningitis due to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var anitratus occurred during a 5-day period in a neonatal intensive care unit. Three of the infants were preterm and all had a history of other medical problems. Initiation of intravenous therapy with carbenicillin was accompanied by clinical recovery and a bacteriological cure. Intensive bacteriological investigation failed...

BACKGROUND To promote participation by parents in the care of their child in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), health professionals need better understanding of what facilitates and what obstructs participation. The aim was to elucidate conditions for parents' participation in the care of their child in NICUs. METHODS A field study with a hermeneutic lifeworld approach was used and data w...