Levels of Neonatal Care

Abstract

Provision of risk-appropriate care for newborn infants and mothers was first proposed in 1976. This updated policy statement provides a review of data supporting evidence for a tiered provision of care and reaffirms the need for uniform, nationally applicable definitions and consistent standards of service for public health to improve neonatal outcomes. Facilities that provide hospital care for newborn infants should be classified on the basis of functional capabilities, and these facilities should be organized within a regionalized system of perinatal care. Pediatrics 2012;130:587-597 OBJECTIVE This revised policy statement reviews the current status of the designation of levels of newborn care definitions in the United States, which were delineated in a 2004 policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 1 Since publication of the 2004 policy statement, new data, both nationally and internationally, have reinforced the importance of well-defined regionalized systems of perinatal care, population-based assessment of outcomes, and appropriate epidemiologic methods to adjust for risk. This revised statement updates the designations to provide (1) a basis for comparison of health outcomes, resource use, and health care costs, (2) standardized nomenclature for public health, (3) uniform definitions for pediatricians and other health care professionals providing neonatal care, and (4) a foundation for consistent standards of service by institutions; state health departments; and state, regional, and national organizations focused on the improvement of perinatal care.

Validity and Reliability of a Revised Northampton Neonatal Skin Assessment Tool in Turkish Language

“…2017; 19(12):e64439. NICUs, as the level of care increase, the infant's total health and care/treatment risks also increases (19).…”

Scope of neonatal care services in major Nigerian hospitals

“…The care facilities were classified according to the level of sophistication of services available using the AAP criteria for categorization of levels of care. 8 The data gathered were entered into an IBM/ SPSS spreadsheet and analyzed.…”

“…Neonatal care facilities should be classified on the basis of functional capabilities, and should be organized within a regionalized system of perinatal care [8][9][10][11] . In the current context, Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is specialized in the care of ill new-borns and manned by Level 3: Intensive neonatal care unit Provides: care for very ill infants of all gestational ages and weights; Mechanical ventilation (MV) support, for as long as required and immediate access to the full range of subspecialty consultants.…”

“…This definition is adapted from the AAP guidelines to meet with available resources in a developing community. This standard of tiered level of neonatal services as contained in the policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics 8 and utilized in developed communities is yet to be applied in Nigeria.…”

“…8 A documentation of the services provided by different neonatal units in the country is helpful in establishing the scope and quality of available newborn care. Quality of newborn care by level of services offered is a critical determinant of neonatal outcomes.…”