Preterm Birth and Total Health Care Use and Costs in the First 5 Years of Life: A Population-based Study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between preterm birth and hospital/out-of-hospital care and costs over the first 5 years of life. STUDY DESIGN: Birth data from a population-based cohort of 631 532 infants born between 2007 and 2013 were linked probabilistically with data on hospitalizations, primary and secondary care, and the use of medications. We analyzed the distribution of health care use and public health care costs for infants who survived at least 5 years, comparing the outcomes of extremely preterm (<28 weeks of gestation), very preterm (28-32 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32-37 weeks), and term infants (at least 37 weeks). A linear regression model was used to investigate the effect of preterm birth on these outcomes, controlling for important confounders including pregnancy and birth complications, neonatal morbidity, survival, and maternal socioeconomic characteristics. RESULTS: Preterm birth has a statistically significant and economically relevant effect on health care use and costs in the first 5 years of life. Compared with a term infant, preterm infants born at 32-36 weeks, 28-32 weeks, and <28 weeks of gestation had, respectively, an average of 7.0 (SE 0.06), 41.6 (0.18), and 68.7 (0.35) more hospital days; 3.1 (0.04), 11.0 (0.13), and 13.2 (0.25) more outpatient specialist physician visits; and 1.2-fold (<0.01), 6.8-fold (0.01), and 10.9-fold (0.02) higher 5-year public health care costs. Preterm infants also had statistically significantly higher levels of general practitioner visits and use of medications. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of accessible care are needed for preterm infants across health care settings and over sustained periods. As our understanding of the impact of preterm birth on long-term clinical outcomes continues to improve, clinicians and policymakers should develop an accurate recognition of these needs to enable appropriate resource allocation toward research priorities and early intervention strategies.

Influence of patterns of neonatal transfers on breastfeeding outcomes.

AIM: To investigate/evaluate the impact of hospital transfers on breastfeeding outcomes for infants requiring neonatal intensive care and to explore approaches to supporting lactation and breastfeeding. METHODS: A national study of two cohorts of infants admitted to the nine neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in New South Wales (NSW) Australia using data sourced from a prospectively collected NICUS data collection. RESULTS: A total of 7829 infants were admitted to the nine NICUs in NSW for two 18-month cohorts (2012/2013 and 2015/2016) and were included in the study. These infants experienced 17 238 transfers to 107 different hospitals during the study period. Multiple transfers and low gestational age were independently associated with lower breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge across both cohorts. Extremely preterm infants and those with the greatest number of hospital transfers are least likely to be breastfed at time of discharge. Breastfeeding rates remained unchanged over time. The level of lactation support varied across NICUs. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the challenges of establishing and maintaining breastfeeding for infants requiring intensive care who have had multiple hospital transfers for continuing or specialist care. There is wide variation in lactation support across facilities. The importance of a consistent approach, education programmes and the provision of appropriate lactation support is emphasised.

The effects of education levels of developmental care in Australia: Perceptions and challenges.

BACKGROUND: Developmental care consists of a range of clinical, infant-focused, and family-focused interventions designed to modify the neonatal intensive care environment and caregiving practices to reduce stressors on the developing brain. Since the inception of developmental care in the early 1980s, it has been recommended and adopted globally as a component of routine practice for neonatal care. Despite its application for almost 40 y, little is known of the attitude of neonatal nurses in Australia towards the intervention. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to establish Australian neonatal nurse perceptions of developmental care and explore associations between developmental care education levels of the nurses and personal beliefs in the application of developmental care. DESIGN: This involves a cross-sectional survey design. METHODS: An online questionnaire was completed by 171 neonatal nurses. Participants were members of the Australian College of Neonatal Nursing (n = 783). Covariate associations between key components of developmental care and respondents' geographical location, place of employment, professional qualifications, and developmental care education level were analysed. The reporting of this study is in accordance with the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys. RESULTS: Differences were observed between groups for geographical location, place of employment, and professional qualification level. Rural nurses were less likely to support the provision of skin-to-skin care (odds ratio [OR]: 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2-1.8) than nurses in a metropolitsan unit. Nurses working in a neonatal intensive care unit and nurses with postgraduate qualifications were more likely to support parental involvement in care ([OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 0.9-6.2] and [OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 0.6-7.4], respectively). Rural respondents were more likely to have attended off-site education (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.3-9.9) than metropolitan respondents. CONCLUSION: The application of developmental care in Australia may be influenced by inadequate resources and inequitable access to educational resources, and similar challenges have been reported in other countries. Overcoming the challenges requires a focused education strategy and support within and beyond the neonatal intensive care unit.

Developmental care education in Australian surgical neonatal intensive care units: A cross-sectional study of nurses' perceptions.

Background: Nurse perceptions of developmental care practices have been researched globally for almost 30 years. Yet, there is a lack of research exploring this subject in the specialised setting of the surgical neonatal intensive care unit (sNICU). This research explores the effect of developmental care education programs on sNICU nurses' perceptions of developmental care. Objective: To determine perceptions and attitudes towards developmental care in a specialty neonatal setting. Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Two surgical neonatal intensive care units in Australia. Participants: Registered nurses permanently employed at the study sites between May 2021 to April 2022. Methods: A modified electronic survey explored sNICU nurse perceptions of developmental care organised around three themes: effects of developmental care on parents and infants, application of developmental care, and unit practices. Associations between site, nurse characteristics, developmental care education and nurses' perceptions were explored using logistic regression [odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI)]. Results: Of 295 sNICU nurses, 117 (40 %) participated in the survey. Seventy-five percent of respondents had attended a formal developmental care education program. High levels of agreement (>90 %) were reported regarding the benefits of developmental care for parents and infants. Exposure to developmental care education influenced perceptions of its application. Nurses without formal developmental care education were more likely to agree that it was consistently applied [OR:3.3, 95%CI:1.3-8.6], developmental care skills are valued [OR:2.7, 95%CI:1.1-6.8], and that their nursing peers offered support in its application ([OR:2.5, 95%CI:1.1-6.2]. Conclusions: The results from our research suggest sNICU nurses have a high level of awareness of developmental care and its positive impacts. Despite differences between the surveyed units' developmental care education programs, the value of developmental care in reducing stress for infants and supporting families was collectively recognised. Future research in this setting should focus on evaluating the application of developmental care in this setting.

Induction of labour: Experiences of care and decision-making of women and clinicians.

BACKGROUND: There has been a rise in induction of labour over recent decades. There is some tension in the literature in relation to when induction is warranted and when not, with variability between guidelines and practice. Given these tensions, the importance of shared decision-making between clinicians and women is increasingly highlighted as paramount, but it remains unclear to what extent this occurs in routine care. METHOD: Using a scoping review methodology, quantitative and qualitative evidence were considered to answer the research question "What are the views, preferences and experiences of women and clinicians in relation to induction of labour more broadly, and practices of decision-making specifically?" To identify studies, the databases PubMed, Maternity and Infant Care, CINAHL and EMBASE were searched from 2008 to 2018, and reference lists of included studies were examined. FINDINGS: 20 papers met inclusion criteria, in relation to (a) women's preferences, experiences and satisfaction with IOL; (b) women's experience of shared-decision making in relation to induction; (c) interventions that improve shared decision-making and (d) factors that influence decision-making from the perspective of clinicians. Synthesis of the included studies indicates that decision-making in relation to induction of labour is largely informed by medical considerations. Women are not routinely engaged in the decision making process with expectations and preferences largely unmet. CONCLUSION: There is a need to develop strategies such as decision aids, the redesign of antenatal classes, and clinician communication training to improve the quality of information available to women and their capacity for informed decision-making.

Midwives' role in the provision of maternal and childhood immunisation information.

PROBLEM: Inactivated influenza vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus acellular pertussis vaccine are routinely recommended during pregnancy to protect women and their babies from infection. Additionally, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for infants within the first week of life; however, little is known about midwives' experiences of recommending and delivering these immunisations. BACKGROUND: Midwives are a trusted source of vaccine information for parents and the confident provision of information about immunisation during antenatal clinic visits has been found to increase the uptake of antenatal and childhood vaccines. AIM: This study aims to explore midwives' experiences of discussing maternal and childhood immunisation with women and their partners and their confidence in answering parent's questions. METHODS: We conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with registered Australian midwives working in public and private hospital settings, and in private practice. FINDINGS: Midwives find negotiating the requirement to recommend immunisation within a women-centred framework challenging at times. The vast majority of midwives described their education on immunisation as inadequate and workplace issues, such as time pressure, were identified as further barriers to effective communication about immunisation. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The provision of immunisation training within midwifery education and continued professional development is critical. Appropriately resourcing midwives with the necessary infrastructure, education and resources to fully inform parents about immunisation may have a positive impact on vaccine uptake.

Midwives' knowledge, attitudes and confidence in discussing maternal and childhood immunisation with parents: A national study.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the enormous benefits of childhood and maternal immunisation to individual and population health, the uptake of maternal vaccines during pregnancy remains suboptimal. Midwives are a trusted information source for parents and play an important role in the provision of immunisation information. Understanding midwives' attitudes and vaccine knowledge, along with their confidence to discuss maternal and childhood immunisation with parents, is key to reducing parental decisional conflict and achieving immunisation goals. METHODS: An online study was conducted to investigate midwives' knowledge and attitudes towards maternal and childhood vaccination along with their confidence to answer parents' vaccine-related questions. Midwives were recruited by email via the midwifery peek body, the Australian College of Midwives. RESULTS: A total of 359 midwives completed the online survey. The majority of midwives supported maternal (influenza 83%, pertussis 90.5%) and childhood immunisation (85.8%); however, 69.4% of respondents wanted further training about immunisation. Midwives who felt their midwifery education adequately covered immunisation were more confident advising parents about maternal (p = 0.007) and childhood immunisation (p < 0.001). Similarly, Midwives were significantly more likely to confidently advise parents about maternal (p < 0.001) and childhood immunisations (p < 0.001) if they had completed a specific immunisation training course outside of their midwifery course. CONCLUSION: Most midwives working in Australia support vaccination. However, access to contemporary, culturally appropriate education that enables midwives to engage confidently with parents about immunisation is lacking. Education based on a women-centred approach within the pre-registration curriculum along with continuing professional development programs could enable midwives to reduce the evidence to practice gap by increasing vaccine uptake.

Variability in incubator humidity practices in the management of preterm infants.

AIM: To determine current practice and opinion in relation to incubator humidity use in the management of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU's) within the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN). METHODS: A survey was conducted in 26 NICU's in the ANZNN. A senior clinical nurse in each perinatal centre participated in a telephone survey that focused on local humidification practices and on the clinicians' views and experiences of humidity use. RESULTS: All centres routinely used supplemental humidity in the management of preterm infants. The majority of centres (77%) had written protocols to guide practice. Eighty-eight per cent commenced humidity at a high level (relative humidity > or = 80%). There was wide practice variation in the gestational age parameters determining humidification use (all gestational ages up to 37 weeks), duration of use (3-77 days), timing of initiation (admission to 72 h after birth) and weaning practices. Perceived benefits of humidification included improved thermoregulation, skin integrity, and fluid and electrolyte balance and reduced transepidermal water loss. Perceived risks included sepsis and hyperthermia. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that incubator humidity is used routinely in the management of preterm infants in the ANZNN. Wide variation in humidification practices across NICUs reflects the paucity of research evidence. Perceived benefits and risks of humidity use were consistent with available literature. To optimise the care environment and provide an evidence base for practice further research is warranted.

Clinical leadership: using observations of care to focus risk management and quality improvement activities in the clinical setting.

In an era when patient safety and quality of care are a daily concern for health care professionals, it is important for nurse managers and other clinical leaders to have a repertoire of skills and interventions that can be used to motivate and engage clinical teams in risk assessment and continuous quality improvement at the level of patient care delivery. This paper describes how a cohort of clinical leaders who were undertaking a leadership development program used a relatively simple, patient-focused intervention called the 'observation of care' to help focus the clinical team's attention on areas for improvement within the clinical setting. The main quality and safety themes arising out of the observations that were undertaken by the Clinical Leaders (CLs) were related to the environment, occupational health and safety, communication and team function, clinical practice and patient care. The observations of care also provided the CLs with many opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate exemplary practice as it was observed as a means of enhancing the development of a quality and safety culture within the clinical setting. The 'observation of care' intervention can be used by Clinical Leader's to engage and motivate clinical teams to focus on continuously improving the safety and quality of their own work environment and the care delivered to patients within that environment.