Premature infants not getting development checks - paediatricians
Monday November 9th, 2015
Many infants who were born prematurely may not be getting crucial developmental checks at the age of two, paediatricians have warned.
The
large number of missing checks has been identified in a national audit
of neonatal care conducted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child
Health.
It found no evidence of these checks taking place in 46% of cases, warning of "major concerns" that an opportunity for early detection of disabilities as being missed.
The study also highlighted some concerns over communication, the college reported. Some 11% of families were not recorded as having had a discussion with a senior clinician within 24 hours of a child being admitted to a neonatal unit.
The audit also found improvements in areas such as retinopathy screening. Some 93% underwent "timely" screening compared with 67% in 2012.
Some 85% of mothers had received antenatal steroids compared with 63% in 2008.
And 94% of babies born before 29 weeks of gestation had their temperature measured within an hour compared with 78% in 2008.
Clinical lead Dr Sam Oddie said: “When a baby is born very prematurely, they are born before they are physically ready for life outside the womb. This means they often have health problems, which can extend into childhood.
“To ensure they are developing as they should be, it is crucial that these babies are monitored closely from birth, at least for the first couple of years. So the fact 46% of babies had no developmental data entered at age two, is a major concern.
"Not only does this create added anxiety for parents about whether their child’s developmental milestones are being met, it also adds pressure to the health service as such children will need to begin a new pathway through the NHS."
Tags: Child Health | NHS | UK News
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