KEY POINTS 1. The quality of clinical care and improvement is typically measured in six areas: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equality. 2. Healthcare administered during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth continues to show considerable center-to-center variability and needs careful…
KEY POINTS 1. Neonatal intensive care unit graduates are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). 2. NDI can occur in cognitive, motor, vision, hearing, or language domains and can seriously impair the child's social, academic, and behavioral functioning. 3. Periventricular…
KEY POINTS 1. Nearly half of all very low birth weight infants may have had brain injury due to hypoxia-ischemia, arterial ischemic stroke(s), inflammation, infection, and intraventricular hemorrhages (IVHs). 2. Neuroimaging is increasingly seen in a “biomarker-like role,” where it…
Key Points 1. Cerebral Palsy (CP) originates from an injury or abnormality in the developing brain, resulting in abnormal muscle tone, and consequently, in altered movement, posture, and motor function. 2. Tools used to accurately detect CP in the first…
KEY POINTS 1. The care of a sick infant must continue into childhood, and families must be guided just as diligently after discharge as they were during intensive care. 2. A continuum of care after discharge, involving dedicated multidisciplinary teams,…
KEY POINTS 1. Most infants who develop neurodevelopmental disability (NDD) are normal on examination at birth. 2. Surveillance for NDD must start with neurologic examination in the neonatal intensive care unit and continue through childhood, because early diagnosis and intervention…
KEY POINTS 1. Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission rates have increased over time, with a consequent increase in the number of extremely premature and critically ill infants who are at risk of chronic illness and mortality. 2. The death…
KEY POINTS 1. Perinatal palliative care is specialized medical care for fetuses/infants with life-threatening or terminal conditions, with the goal of providing equitable and effective support for curative, life-prolonging, and palliative care for patients and their families. 2. Perinatal hospice…
KEY POINTS 1. With a high incidence of morbidity and mortality, the care of critically ill newborns brings unique complexities in communication between the care providers and families. 2. Because newborns cannot make their wishes known, surrogates, generally parents, collaborate…
KEY POINTS 1. Perinatal palliative care (PPC) programs are increasing across the U.S. These services exist in a wide variety of settings from health care institutions to community- or faith-based organizations, have varying levels of ability and comfort in providing…