The cost-effectiveness of home phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia in neonates: results from a randomized controlled trial.

This study aimed to establish the cost-effectiveness of home phototherapy versus hospital phototherapy treating hyperbilirubinemia in neonates more than 36 weeks. Based on clinical results from a randomised controlled trial showing that home phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia in term neonates is as effective as hospital phototherapy, we performed a cost-minimisation analysis to identify the most cost-effective alternative. We included costs for health care resource use as well as costs for transportation in connection with re-visits. The cost per patient was €337 for home phototherapy compared with €1156 for the hospital alternative indicating average cost savings of €819 (95% confidence interval €613-1025) or 71% per patient. Transportation and outpatient costs were higher in the home treatment group and hospital care costs were higher in the hospital group. Sensitivity analysis shows that results are robust also when allowing for uncertainty. Home phototherapy for neonates more than 36 weeks costs less than in-hospital phototherapy while being equally effective, meaning that home phototherapy is a cost-effective alternative to hospital treatment for infants with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.Trial registration NCT03536078 . Date of registration: 24/05/2018.

Parental experiences of home phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Newborns with hyperbilirubinemia have traditionally received phototherapy in hospital. Hospital stays for infants, however, may negatively affect parent-infant bonding and induce anxiety and feelings of powerlessness in mothers. This study examined parent's experiences of providing phototherapy to their neonates at home instead. A descriptive qualitative study based on 15 interviews (8 mothers and 7 fathers) with parents of 8 children who had been randomised to home phototherapy was conducted during spring 2018 in Örebro county, Sweden. Inductive content analysis was used. The overall experience of home phototherapy was positive, and five categories were identified describing their experiences: continuing life at home, adjusting to having a newborn, feeling secure, experiencing parenthood and accessing information. The findings support the use of home phototherapy. Parents felt secure at home with their infants and emphasised the importance of clear information and round-the-clock access to hospital staff.

Clonidine as analgesia during retinopathy of prematurity screening in preterm infants (cloROP): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Preterm infants are at risk of negative consequences from stress and pain at the same time as they often are in need of intensive care that includes painful interventions. One of the frequent painful procedures preterm infants undergo is eye examination screening to detect early signs of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). These examinations are both stressful and painful, and despite a multitude of research studies, no conclusive pain-relieving treatment has been demonstrated. The main aim of this trial is to investigate the analgesic effect of clonidine during ROP eye examinations. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The planned study is a multicentre randomised controlled trial with a crossover design. Infants will be recruited from two different neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Sweden. Infants born before gestation week 30 (and therefore eligible for ROP screening) and cared for in either of the NICUs will be eligible for inclusion in the study. The primary outcome will be Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised score within 30 s after starting the examination. Secondary outcomes will be changes in the galvanic skin response parameters (area small peaks, area huge peaks, peaks per second and average rise time) within 30 s after starting the eye examination, together with the number and evaluation of adverse events reported within 72 hours after the examination and the examining physician's assessment of how easy the infant was to examine. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority and the Swedish Medical Products Agency has been obtained for the study. Parents of eligible infants will be getting both verbal and written information about the study including that participation is voluntary. Data will be collected and treated in accordance with the European general data protection regulations. The results will be reported on group level and published in a scientific journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04902859).EudraCT (2021-003005-21).

Home phototherapy of term neonates improves parental bonding and stress: Findings from a randomised controlled trial.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate whether in-home phototherapy for hyperbilirubinaemia could reduce the poorer parent-infant bonding and increased parental stress associated with neonatal hospital treatment. METHODS: In this multicentre randomised controlled trial, we allocated families to either home phototherapy or standard hospital care. The primary outcome was parent-infant bonding measured on the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire directly after therapy and 4 months later. Secondary outcomes were results on four other instruments measuring parental bonding, quality of life and mental health. RESULTS: We randomised 78 of 147 newborn infants to intervention and 69 to the control group. No significant differences were detected in length of stay, mean bilirubin, or weight gain. Parents in the intervention group had better scores on bonding both at discharge (p = 0.034) and at 4 months (p = 0.008; effect size r = 0.2) and lower levels of stress at 4 months (p = 0.024) than controls. No statistically significant outcomes were found for the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: In-home phototherapy improved bonding and reduced parental stress in comparison with usual in-hospital treatment. Caregivers should consider offering home phototherapy to families of non-immunised term infants with hyperbilirubinaemia.

Oral sweet solution to prevent pain during neonatal hip examination: a randomised controlled trial.

AIM: To determine if oral glucose can have a pain-relieving effect during routine hip examinations in newborn infants. METHODS: In this randomised controlled study 100 newborn infants undergoing the routine physical examination including the potentially painful hip examination were included between March 2016 and April 2017. Fifty infants were randomised to water (control) and 50 to oral glucose (intervention) before their examination. Pain was assessed using crying time, Astrid Lindgren and Lund Children's Hospital Pain and Stress Assessment Scale (ALPS-Neo) and Visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Total crying time (p = 0.006), crying time during the hip examination (p = 0.026), ALPS-Neo (p = 0.004) and VAS (p = 0.006) (when assessed by the physician) were all significantly decreased in the group of infants receiving glucose. VAS assessment made by the parents did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.127). CONCLUSION: Oral glucose given before the examination has a pain-relieving effect during the hip examination in healthy newborn infants.

Neurophysiological and behavioral measures of pain during neonatal hip examination.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that neonatal hip examination causes pain in newborns. Pain assessment using instruments such as the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R) scale is recommended, but recently physiological and neurophysiological measures, for example, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and galvanic skin response (GSR), have been used as well. Methods: Heart auscultation and hip examination were performed, and the response of the newborn was registered by NIRS optodes, GSR electrodes, and a pulse oximeter probe attached to the infant. The face of the newborn was filmed. Heart auscultation was used as a nonpainful reference. Results: The pain scores for hip examination were higher than for the heart auscultation. Near-infrared spectroscopy showed a significant higher increase from baseline in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) on both sides of the cortex at hip examination compared with at heart auscultation (P = .011 and P = .017). Mean PIPP-R scores for the hip examination compared with heart auscultation increased from 3.0 to 8.1 (P = .000). The GSR analyses of hip examination compared with heart auscultation showed a significant increase in area under small peaks during the hip examination (P = .016), however, not when measured in peaks per second (P = .104). Interrater reliability was calculated for the NIRS interpretations, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) range of 0.93-1.0 (P = .000). Discussion: Pain in newborns can have negative consequences, and pain prevention and treatment are therefore important. We conclude that neonatal hip examinations are painful and that the pain should be treated, for example, with oral sweet solution. This is a change from present routines during neonatal hip examination and is hoped to lead to a change in national guidelines.