Standardisation of neonatal clinical practice

Authors

Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, The Aga Khan UniversityFollow
F Giuliani, Universit
a degli Studi di Torino
A Haroon, Aga Khan University
H E. Knight, University of Oxford
E Albernaz, Universidade Catolica de Pelotas
M Batra, University of Washington School of Medicine
B Bhat, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
E Bertino, Universit
a degli Studi di Torino
K McCormick, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
Roseline Ochieng, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
V Rajan, Ketkar Nursing Home, Nagpur, India
P Ruyan, Beijing Obstetrics & Gynaecology Hospital
L Cheikh Ismail, University of Oxford
V Paul, India Institute of Medical Sciences

Document Type

Article

Department

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (East Africa); Paediatrics and Child Health (East Africa)

Abstract

The International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21^st Century (INTERGROWTH-21^st) is a large-scale, population-based, multicentre project involving health institutions from eight geographically diverse countries, which aims to assess fetal, newborn and preterm growth under optimal conditions. Given the multicentre nature of the project and the expected number of preterm births, it is vital that all centres follow the same standardised clinical care protocols to assess and manage preterm infants, so as to ensure maximum validity of the resulting standards as indicators of growth and nutrition with minimal confounding. Moreover, it is well known that evidence-based clinical practice guidelines can reduce the delivery of inappropriate care and support the introduction of new knowledge into clinical practice. The INTERGROWTH-21^st Neonatal Group produced an operations manual, which reflects the consensus reached by members of the group regarding standardised definitions of neonatal morbidities and the minimum standards of care to be provided by all centres taking part in the project. The operational definitions and summary management protocols were developed by consensus through a Delphi process based on systematic reviews of relevant guidelines and management protocols by authoritative bodies. This paper describes the process of developing the Basic Neonatal Care Manual, as well as the morbidity definitions and standardised neonatal care protocols applied across all the INTERGROWTH-21^st participating centres. Finally, thoughts about implementation strategies are presented.

Publication (Name of Journal)

BJOG

Recommended Citation

Bhutta, Z. A., Giuliani, F., Haroon, A., Knight, H. E., Albernaz, E., Batra, M., Bhat, B., Bertino, E., McCormick, K., Ochieng, R., Rajan, V., Ruyan, P., Ismail, L. C., Paul, V. (2013). Standardisation of neonatal clinical practice. BJOG, 120(Suppl. 2), 56-63.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_obstet_gynaecol/25

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