A global survey on national standard care for newborn bathing.

AIM: To describe national standard care for newborn bathing and its influential factors. METHODS: A global survey was conducted using a web-based questionnaire. The targeted countries were 166 member countries of either the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) or the International Council of Nurses (ICN). An eligible person included someone well informed of midwifery education/training or neonatal care, including newborn bathing, in their country. To examine the factors associated with the standard care for newborn bathing, information on mean annual temperature, precipitation, gross domestic product per capita, and basic water coverage was collected as external factors. Student's t tests and Chi-square tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: Care standards were identified in 46 countries: seven from Africa, eight from the Americas, 15 from Asia, 14 from Europe, and two from Oceania. In most countries, newborns were bathed with warm water in a tub within 10 min. Bathing frequency, moisturization, and use of soap or cleanser varied by country. There were significant associations between bathing frequency and temperature and between moisturization and precipitation. CONCLUSION: The national standard care for newborn bathing in each country was unique. Standard bathing care was associated with the climate. More consideration should be given to the differences in standard care for newborn bathing between countries when interpreting existing studies and conducting future studies on neonatal skin care.

Continuity of maternal and infant care through integrated health service delivery networks in Latin America: a scoping review.

Latin America has experienced substantial development over the last three decades; however, development has been uneven with persistent inequalities, especially in the areas of maternal and child health. Since the early 1990s, most Latin American health-care systems have undergone a series of reforms to improve access to services, with the most recent being the implementation of integrated health service delivery networks (IHSDNs). This model posits that patients will receive better continuity of care and higher-quality health services and avoid duplicated efforts. While decreased maternal and infant mortality rates have been observed in the region since IHSDN implementation, there is limited evidence on this model's implications for maternal and infant care. The purpose of this study is to explore how IHSDNs affect access to and continuity of maternal and infant care in Latin America, according to the peer-reviewed literature. A scoping review was conducted systematically to identify peer-reviewed articles published since 2007 on studies that took place in Latin America, include IHSDNs, focus on the antenatal and/or postnatal period, include women and/or infants under 2 years of age and are written in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Seven studies (n = 7) met the inclusion criteria for this review. Barriers identified were related to person-centred care (n = 5) and logistical challenges (n = 5). The most cited facilitator encompassed social support for women when accessing care (n = 3). Potential solutions to improve care access included an improvement in the network structure and a greater focus on care provision, rather than regulations and compliance. Findings from this study suggest that the IHSDN model has the potential to improve care for women during pregnancy and post-birth if the model is implemented to its full extent. However, implementation of the model in Latin America is still weak, creating barriers for women when seeking care, particularly for disparate populations and those residing in rural areas.

Exploring cultural determinants to be integrated into preterm infant care in the neonatal intensive care unit: an integrative literature review.

BACKGROUND: Cultural practices are an integral part of childrearing and remain a significant aspect for healthcare professionals to ensure culturally sensitive care, particularly in the neonatal intensive care unit. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise literature on the cultural determinants that can be integrated into care of preterm infants admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS: The current review followed the integrative literature review steps proposed by Lubbe and colleagues. The registration of the review protocol was in PROSPERO. There was a literature search conducted in the EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases using the search string developed in collaboration with the librarian. Three reviewers employed a three-step screening strategy to screen the articles published in English between 2011 and 2021 that focused on culturally sensitive care. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Evidence critical appraisal toolkit assessed the methodological quality of the articles included at the full-text screening level. RESULTS: There were 141 articles retrieved, and 20 included on the full-text screening level; the exclusion of one article was due to a low critical appraisal grade. Four topical themes emerged from 19 articles: spiritual care practices, intragenerational infant-rearing practices, infant physical care practices, and combining treatment practices. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings indicated that parental cultural beliefs and practices mostly influenced infant-rearing practices, emphasising the significance of integrating cultural practices when rendering healthcare services. The recommendation is that healthcare professionals understand various cultural determinants, mainly those specific to the community they serve, to provide culturally sensitive care.

Suplementação com fórmula infantil em recém-nascidos nas maternidades brasileiras: análise a partir do estudo Nascer no Brasil / Infant formula supplementation for newborns in brazilian maternity hospitals: an analysis based on the Born in Brazil study

O Passo Seis da Iniciativa Hospital Amigo da Criança compreende não dar a recém-nascidos nenhum outro alimento ou bebida além do leite materno, a não ser que haja uma indicação médica. Apesar das diretrizes que justificam o uso apropriado de fórmula infantil na internação pós-parto, é comum sua utilização sem que haja indicação. Tendo em vista a necessidade de reduzir o uso desnecessário de fórmula infantil no pós-parto, este estudo objetivou analisar fatores associados à suplementação com fórmula infantil em recém-nascidos clinicamente estáveis na maternidade. A pesquisa foi realizada a partir de dados amostrais do estudo "Nascer no Brasil", coorte nacional de base hospitalar, realizada entre fevereiro de 2011 e outubro de 2012. Foram selecionados os recém-nascidos encaminhados ao alojamento conjunto após o nascimento. Foram excluídos nascidos de mães com sorologia positiva para o Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana, near miss materno, nascidos com malformações congênitas e internados em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Foram excluídos bebês que utilizaram outros líquidos, pois as indicações de seu uso diferem das indicações de suplementação por fórmula infantil. A amostra final incluiu 14.531 puérperas e recém-nascidos. As variáveis foram selecionadas a partir de um modelo conceitual das variáveis distais, intermediárias e proximais associadas ao desfecho. Foi construído um modelo de regressão logística hierarquizado a partir das variáveis cuja associação com o desfecho apresentaram p-valor ≤ 0,20, com nível de significância de 5% para o modelo final. Foram categorizados os motivos relatados pelas puérperas para seu bebê ter recebido fórmula infantil para análise descritiva e exploratória, verificando-se as proporções através de tabelas de contingência. 21,2% dos recém-nascidos receberam fórmula infantil durante a internação. Fatores associados ao uso de fórmula infantil: idade materna ≥ 35 anos (OR=1,51; IC95%:1,30-1,75), pré-natal em serviço privado (OR=2,22; IC:1,72- 2,85) /serviço público e privado (OR=1,67; IC:1,24-2,23), parto cesáreo (OR=1,83; IC:1,41-2,38), gravidez múltipla (OR=3,786; IC:2,02-7,06), não amamentação na sala de parto (OR=1,780; IC:1,43-2,21), parto em hospital privado (OR=1,695; IC:1,02-2,79), prematuridade (OR= 1,656; IC:1,32-2,06), extremos de peso ao nascer (< 2,500 g: OR=2,084; IC: 1,585-2,741/ ≥4,000g: OR=1,672; IC:1,31-2,11), idade adolescente (OR= 0,651; IC:0,55-0,76), baixo nível de escolaridade materna (OR=0,579; IC:0,43-0,77), multiparidade (OR=0,588; IC:0,510-0,678). Metade do total de razões maternas para uso de fórmula correspondeu a "leite não havia descido/ pouco leite", motivo não aceitável como justificativa para fornecimento de suplemento. Apenas 5,6% corresponderam aos critérios para indicações ou possíveis indicações para a suplementação com fórmula. As razões maternas mais prevalentes são passíveis de intervenção pelos profissionais de saúde, como o aconselhamento e manejo clínico individualizado em amamentação. Dos fatores associados, destacam-se parto cesáreo e a não amamentação na sala de parto, mostrando que é necessário fortalecer políticas que estimulem as boas práticas na assistência ao parto e nascimento, a fim de promover o aleitamento materno exclusivo e proteger mães e recém-nascidos de todas as classes sociais contra o uso indevido de fórmula infantil.

The Step Six of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative involves not giving newborns any food or drink other than breast milk, unless there is a medical indication. Despite the guidelines that justify the appropriate use of infant formula in postpartum hospitalization, its use without indication is common. Considering the need to reduce the unnecessary use of infant formula in the postpartum period, this study aimed to analyze factors associated with infant formula supplementation in clinically stable newborns in the maternity ward. The research was carried out using sample data from the study "Born in Brazil", a national hospital-based cohort, carried out between February 2011 and October 2012. Newborns referred to rooming-in after birth were selected. Infants born to mothers with positive serology for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, maternal near miss, born with congenital malformations and hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit were excluded. Babies who used other liquids were excluded, as the indications for their use differ from the indications for supplementation with infant formula. The final sample included 14,531 postpartum women and newborns. The variables were selected from a conceptual model of distal, intermediate and proximal variables associated with the outcome. A hierarchical logistic regression model was constructed from the variables whose association with the outcome presented p-value ≤ 0.20, with a significance level of 5% for the final model. The reasons reported by the puerperal women for having received infant formula were categorized for descriptive and exploratory analysis, verifying the proportions through contingency tables. 21.2% of newborns received infant formula during hospitalization. Factors associated with the use of infant formula: maternal age ≥ 35 years (OR=1.51; 95%CI:1.30-1.75), prenatal care in a private service (OR=2.22; CI:1.72 - 2.85) / public and private service (OR=1.67; CI:1.24-2.23), cesarean delivery (OR=1.83; CI:1.41-2.38), multiple pregnancy (OR=3.786; CI:2.02-7.06), non-breastfeeding in the delivery room (OR=1.780; CI:1.43-2.21), delivery in a private hospital (OR=1.695; CI:1 .02-2.79), prematurity (OR= 1.656; CI: 1.32-2.06), extremes of birth weight (< 2.500 g: OR=2.084; CI: 1.585-2.741/ ≥4.000g: OR =1.672; CI:1.31-2.11), adolescent age (OR=0.651; CI:0.55-0.76), low maternal education (OR=0.579; CI:0.43-0.77) , multiparity (OR=0.588; IC:0.510-0.678). Half of the total maternal reasons for using formula corresponded to "there was not enough milk/low milk", a reason not acceptable as a justification for providing the supplement. Only 5.6% met the criteria for indications or possible indications for formula supplementation. The most prevalent maternal reasons are subject to intervention by health professionals, such as counseling and individualized clinical management of breastfeeding. Of the associated factors, cesarean delivery and non-breastfeeding in the delivery room stand out, showing that it is necessary to strengthen policies that encourage good practices in childbirth and birth care to promote exclusive breastfeeding and protect mothers and newborns of all social classes against the misuse of infant formula.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment to improve exclusive breast feeding at 1 month.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have assessed breastfeeding-support programmes. Among these, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a frequently used approach, although without strong evidence of efficacy. METHODS: A double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted between July 2013 and March 2016. Breastfed term infants were eligible if one of the following criteria was met: suboptimal breastfeeding behaviour, maternal cracked nipples or maternal pain. The infants were randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. The intervention consisted of two sessions of early OMT, while in the control group, the manipulations were performed on a doll behind a screen. The primary outcome was the exclusive breastfeeding rate at 1 month, which was assessed in an intention-to-treat analysis. Randomisation was computer generated and only accessible to the osteopath practitioner. The parents, research assistants and paediatricians were masked to group assignment. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight mother-infant dyads were randomised, with 64 assigned to each group. In each group, five infants were lost to follow-up. In the intervention group, 31 of 59 (53%) of infants were still exclusively breast fed at 1 month vs 39 of 59 (66%) in the control group, (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.17; p=0.12). After adjustment for suboptimal breastfeeding behaviour, caesarean section, use of supplements and breast shields, the adjusted OR was 0.44 (95% CI 0.17 to 1.11; p=0.08). No adverse effects were reported in either group. CONCLUSION: OMT did not improve exclusive breast feeding at 1 month. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01890668.

Assessment of midwifery care providers intrapartum care competencies, in four sub-Saharan countries: a mixed-method study protocol.

BACKGROUND: We aim to assess competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of midwifery care providers as well as their experiences and perceptions of in-service training in the four study countries; Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda as part of the Action Leveraging Evidence to Reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa project (ALERT). While today more women in low- and middle-income countries give birth in health care facilities, reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality have been less than expected. This paradox may be explained by the standard and quality of intrapartum care provision which depends on several factors such as health workforce capacity and the readiness of the health system as well as access to care. METHODS: Using an explanatory sequential mixed method design we will employ three methods (i) a survey will be conducted using self-administered questionnaires assessing knowledge, (ii) skills drills assessing basic intrapartum skills and attitudes, using an observation checklist and (iii) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to explore midwifery care providers' experiences and perceptions of in-service training. All midwifery care providers in the study facilities are eligible to participate in the study. For the skills drills a stratified sample of midwifery care providers will be selected in each hospital according to the number of providers and, professional titles and purposive sampling will be used for the FGDs. Descriptive summary statistics from the survey and skills drills will be presented by country. Conventional content analysis will be employed for data analysis of the FGDs. DISCUSSION: We envision comparative insight across hospitals and countries. The findings will be used to inform a targeted quality in-service training and quality improvement intervention related to provision of basic intrapartum care as part of the ALERT project. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PACTR202006793783148-June 17th, 2020.

An Integrative Review of Fathers' Needs in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Having a child admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is traumatic for both parents, but mothers and fathers may have different experiences, and thus, different needs. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify the needs of fathers of premature infants. A systematic review of 7 databases was conducted, and studies were evaluated by the Critical Appraisal Programme checklist. To provide structure for searching and reporting findings, the Whittemore and Knafle interpretive methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis methodology were used. A total of 19 articles were identified. The resulting themes included: need to be close to infant and involved in infant's care; need for information; need for a better NICU environment; need for emotional support; and need for a relationship with the NICU staff.

Preparo de alta de famílias na promoção dos cuidados domiciliares do recém-nascido: revisão integrativa / Preparation of discharge of families in the promotion of the home care of the newborn: integrative review

Objetivo: Analisar evidências científicas da enfermagem acerca das melhores práticas relacionadas ao preparo de alta de famílias na promoção dos cuidados domiciliares do recém-nascido. Métodos: revisão integrativa da literatura realizada nos recursos informacionais LILACS, MEDLINE, BDENF, CINAHL e SCIELO, com utilização dos descritores controlados em português: "recém-nascido", "cuidado do lactente", "alta do paciente" e "enfermagem neonatal", e suas versões em inglês e espanhol, no recorte temporal de 2008 a 2018. Resultados: foram selecionados 14 estudos completos para análise interpretativa que permitiu a identificação de duas categorias: melhores práticas relacionadas ao preparo de alta de famílias de recém-nascidos e limitações no preparo de alta de famílias de recém-nascidos. Conclusão: evidenciaram-se distintas estratégias pedagógicas que podem ser desenvolvidas pela enfermagem junto aos familiares no processo de alta hospitalar, bem como a necessidade de sua efetiva aplicabilidade para a promoção dos cuidados domiciliares do recém-nascido com segurança e qualidade

Objetivo:Analizarla evidencia científica de enfermería sobre las mejores prácticas relacionadas con la preparación de las familias para recibir el alta en la promoción de la atención domiciliaria del recién nacido.Métodos: revisión integradora de la literatura realizada en los recursos de información LILACS, MEDLINE, BDENF, CINAHL y SciELO, usando descriptores controlados en portugués: "recién nacido", "cuidado del lactante", "alta del paciente" y "enfermería neonatal", y sus versiones en inglés y español, en el recorte temporal de 2008 a 2018. Resultados: se seleccionaron 14 estudios completos para análisis interpretativo que permitió la identificación de dos categorías: mejores prácticas relacionadas con la preparación de alta de familias de recién nacidos y limitaciones en la preparación de alta de familias de recién nacidos. Conclusión: se evidenció distintas estrategias pedagógicas que pueden ser desarrolladas por la enfermería junto a los familiares en el proceso de alta hospitalaria, así como la necesidad de su efectiva aplicabilidad para la promoción de los cuidados domiciliarios del recién nacido con seguridad y calidad

Objective: To analyzescientific evidence of nursing about the best practices related to preparing families to be discharged in the promotion of home care for the newborn.Methods: an integrative review of the literature on the information resources LILACS, MEDLINE, BDENF, CINAHL and SCIELO, using the descriptors controlled in Portuguese: "newborn", "infant care", "patient discharge" and "neonatal nursing" , and its versions in English and Spanish, in the time cut from 2008 to 2018. Results: 14 complete studies were selected for interpretative analysis that allowed the identification of two categories: best practices related to the preparation of discharge of newborn families and limitations in the preparation of discharge of newborn families. Conclusion: different pedagogical strategies that could be developed by nursing with family members in the hospital discharge process were evidenced, as well as the need for their effective applicability to the promotion of home care of the newborn with safety and quality

A Nurse-Led Population-Based Health Education Project to Improve Infant Care Knowledge for an Old Order Mennonite Community.

Population health is changing the focus of nursing practice as nurses are challenged to focus on health promotion and education for communities rather than limiting their practice to restorative care for individual acute care patients. This new focus is necessary to improve knowledge of maternal and infant health among vulnerable populations. One particularly vulnerable population is members of Old Order Mennonite communities, who frequently rely on self-trained local midwives in the community for home births and home remedies when caring for their infants. Providing evidence-based education to members of this isolated population can be a challenge because they do not typically access information outside of the community. The purpose of this article is to share the process of developing, publishing, and disseminating a culturally sensitive infant care manual for an Old Order Mennonite community using a community-based participatory model and to highlight the impact nursing outreach can have on improving health knowledge.

Maternal and newborn care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya: re-contextualising the community midwifery model.

Peripartum deaths remain significantly high in low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted essential services, which could lead to an increase in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, the lockdowns, curfews, and increased risk for contracting COVID-19 may affect how women access health facilities. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that requires a community-centred response, not just hospital-based interventions. In this prolonged health crisis, pregnant women deserve a safe and humanised birth that prioritises the physical and emotional safety of the mother and the baby. There is an urgent need for innovative strategies to prevent the deterioration of maternal and child outcomes in an already strained health system. We propose strengthening community-based midwifery to avoid unnecessary movements, decrease the burden on hospitals, and minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection among women and their newborns.

Neonatal Nurses' Self-reported Practices, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Use of Maternal Voice for Preterm Infants.

BACKGROUND/SIGNIFICANCE: Infants born extremely premature (<1500 g) often experience lengthy stays in the challenging environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) separated from their parents. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' knowledge, attitude, and use of maternal voice as a therapeutic intervention for preterm infants in the NICU. METHODS: Neonatal nurses (n = 117) completed an online survey about the use of maternal voice in their individual units. Questions included: (1) previous knowledge surrounding use of maternal voice in the NICU; (2) their attitudes about using maternal voice recordings and/or live maternal speech as an intervention; (3) whether their unit had the necessary equipment and environment conducive to using the therapy; (4) average amount of time parents were in the NICU with their neonate; and (5) in what situations they would personally encourage the use of maternal recordings (during procedures, rounds, etc). RESULTS: Of those responding, 73.3% of nurse (n = 117) respondents agreed they were willing to incorporate maternal recordings into caregiving, with 80.8% indicating they were open to learning and employing different therapies to improve parental involvement in infant care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: When the appropriate equipment is available, neonatal nurses are interested and willing to use alternative therapies that incorporate parental participation into direct caregiving as well as utilizing maternal voice recordings. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Further research with larger, more diverse samples is needed to determine the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of maternal voice recordings by NICU nurses. Future research can also focus on barriers to utilization of the therapy during daily care.

Life history and socioecology of infancy.

OBJECTIVES: Evolution of human maternal investment strategies is hypothesized to be tied to biological constraints and environmental cues. It is likely, however, that the socioecological context in which mothers' decisions are made is equally important. Yet, a lack of studies examining maternal investment from a cross-cultural, holistic approach has hindered our ability to investigate the evolution of maternal investment strategies. Here, we take a systems-level approach to study how human life history characteristics, environments, and socioecology influence maternal investment in their children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We test how infant age and sex, maternal age, parity, and child loss, and the composition of a child's cooperative breeding network are associated with maternal investment across three small-scale (hunter-gatherer, horticultural, and agropastoral), sub-Saharan populations (N = 212). Naturalistic behavioral observations also enable us to illustrate the breadth and depth of the human cooperative breeding system. RESULTS: Results indicate that infant age, maternal age and parity, and an infant's cooperative childcare network are significantly associated with maternal investment, controlling for population. We also find that human allomaternal care is conducted by a range of caregivers, occupying different relational, sex, and age categories. Moreover, investment by allomothers is widely distributed. DISCUSSION: Our findings illustrate the social context in which children are reared in contemporary small-scale populations, and in which they were likely reared throughout our evolutionary history. The diversity of the caregiving network, coupled with life history characteristics, is predictive of maternal investment strategies, demonstrating the importance of cooperation in the evolution of human ontogeny.

Scaling up Ghana's national newborn care initiative: integrating 'helping babies breathe' (HBB), 'essential care for every baby' (ECEB), and newborn 'infection prevention' (IP) trainings.

BACKGROUND: Responding to stagnating neonatal mortality rates in Ghana, a five-year collaboration called Making Every Baby Count Initiative (MEBCI) was undertaken to improve the quality of newborn care provided around the time of birth. A multi-pronged approach was used to build health worker (HW) capacity in resuscitation, essential newborn care, and infection prevention using a curriculum built on the American Academy of Pediatric's (AAP) Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) and Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) modules with an added section on infection prevention (IP). METHODS: MEBCI used a training of trainer's approach to train 3688 health workers from district-level facilities in four regions in Ghana between June 2015 and July 2017. Prior to training, HWs familiarized themselves with the learning materials. Concurrently, MEBCI worked to improve enabling environments that would sustain the increased capacity of trained health workers. Knowledge and skills gained were tested using AAP's Knowledge checklist and validated single-scenario Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) tools. FINDINGS: Majority of HWs trained were midwives (58.8%) and came from district-level hospitals (88.4%). Most HWs passed the HBB OSCE (99.9%, 3436/3440). Age of doctors was negatively associated with HBB scores (r = - 0.16, p = 0.0312). Similarly, older midwives had lower HBB scores (r = - 0.33, p value < 0.001). Initiating ventilation within the Golden Minute was challenging for HWs (78.5% passed) across all regions. Overall, the pass rate for ECEB OSCEs was 99.9% in all regions. Classify newborn for further care and communicate plan to family were frequent challenges observed in Volta Region (69.5% and 72.0% pass rate respectively). HWs less than 40 years of age performed significantly better than health workers older than 40 years (p = 0.023). Age of only paediatricians was positively associated with ECEB scores (r = 0.77, p < 0.001) while age of midwives was negatively associated with ECEB scores (r = - 0.08, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: MEBCI's integrated HBB-ECEB-IP training resulted in significant mastery of the clinical knowledge and skills of HWs. Harmonization and standardization of the course delivery by trainers and having a core team to ensure training fidelity are essential to maintaining high quality while scaling a program nationally. FUNDING: Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

Compliance to immediate newborn care practice among midwives working in maternity wards: a best practice implementation project.

BACKGROUND: The WHO has a series of comprehensive care instructions to improve the health of newborns from prior to conception, throughout pregnancy, soon after birth and in the postnatal period. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this best practice implementation project was to promote evidence-based best practice of immediate newborn care practice among midwives working in the maternity ward. METHODS: Baseline and postimplementation audits were conducted using the JBI Practical Application of Evidence System using nine audit criteria for immediate newborn care. The gaps and barriers were analyzed using Getting Research into Practice strategies based on the baseline audit result. Discussion was conducted on the identified gaps and the implementation strategies. RESULTS: A total of 94 cases were observed for both a baseline and follow-up audit. We found that follow-up compliance rates for all criteria were improved compared with the baseline audit. For instance, criterion 5 improved from 26% during baseline to 96% during follow-up audit, and the overall average compliance at baseline was 58% and for the postimplementation audit was 96%. CONCLUSION: The current project revealed that training of the health professionals and presenting evidence summaries to them were strategies that resulted in improved compliance to best available evidence to immediate newborn care.

Association between birth attendant and early newborn care in Senegal.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between type of birth attendant and early newborn care in Senegal. DESIGN: This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2017 Continuous Demographic and Health Survey. PARTICIPANTS: The study included data on 6328 women with live births in the three years preceding the survey. MEASUREMENTS: The main exposure was the type of birth attendant (doctor, nurse/midwife, auxiliary midwife/matrone, traditional birth attendant, or "others (friend, relative, or no one)). We assessed three outcomes: 1) early initiation of breastfeeding, 2) breastfeeding support, and 3) cord examination. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of early newborn care after adjusting for potential confounders. FINDINGS: The coverage of all three newborn care indicators of interest was low. In the adjusted regression models, women whose births were assisted by a nurse/midwife were nearly twice as likely to initiate breastfeeding early compared to those assisted by doctors (odds ratio: 1.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-3.45). Women assisted at birth by doctors were significantly more likely to report breastfeeding support and newborn cord examination than those assisted by other types of birth attendants. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although most recent births were facility-based and assisted by skilled birth attendants, the prevalence of early newborn care was suboptimal. This presents a missed opportunity to improve neonatal outcomes. Training and supporting skilled birth attendants may bridge the gap between opportunity and practice, and lead to improved coverage and quality of newborn care in Senegal.

Health staff experiences with the implementation of early essential newborn care guidelines in Da Nang municipality and Quang Nam province in Viet Nam.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends early essential newborn care (EENC) - The First Embrace - as a simple lifesaving procedure for newborns. The successful implementation of EENC at scale requires an understanding of health staff experiences, including facilitators, barriers, and local adaptations of EENC. This study aims to gain insight into health staff experiences with implementation of EENC guidelines after participation in training and coaching initiatives in Da Nang municipality and Quang Nam province in Viet Nam. METHODS: In each province/municipality, we randomly selected one hospital from the following categories: public provincial/municipal hospital, public district hospital, and private hospital. We conducted in-depth interviews with 19 hospital staff (11 midwives, 5 doctors and 3 health managers) and two trainers during 7 days between September and October 2017. We used deductive/inductive thematic analysis to generate themes. RESULTS: The health staff reported improved staff and mother satisfaction, and health benefits for both mothers and newborns after implementing EENC. Facilitators to successful implementation were management support for resource allocation and collaboration across departments, and creative demand generation. Barriers included staff shortage, skepticism about the new protocols and practices and challenges translating knowledge and skills from trainings and coaching into practice. CONCLUSIONS: After implementing EENC, through training and coaching using the WHO approach, health staff reported improved staff and mother satisfaction as well as health benefits for both mothers and newborns. An approach to develop competencies, with a focus on practical training and coaching, should be promoted to form, reinforce and sustain recommended EENC practices among health staff.

Management of newborns exposed to mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

There is limited information about newborns with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Particularly in the hospital after delivery, clinicians have refined practices in order to prevent secondary infection. While guidance from international associations is continuously being updated, all facets of care of neonates born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are center-specific, given local customs, building infrastructure constraints, and availability of protective equipment. Based on anecdotal reports from institutions in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic close to our hospital, together with our limited experience, in anticipation of increasing numbers of exposed newborns, we have developed a triage algorithm at the Penn State Hospital at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center that may be useful for other centers anticipating a similar surge. We discuss several care practices that have changed in the COVID-19 era including the use of antenatal steroids, delayed cord clamping (DCC), mother-newborn separation, and breastfeeding. Moreover, this paper provides comprehensive guidance on the most suitable respiratory support for newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also present detailed recommendations about the discharge process and beyond, including providing scales and home phototherapy to families, parental teaching via telehealth and in-person education at the doors of the hospital, and telehealth newborn follow-up.

[What sociotechnical arrangement is responsible for newborn deaths in West Africa?] / De quel agencement sociotechnique meurent les nouveau-nés d'Afrique de l'Ouest ?

INTRODUCTION: In Sub-Saharan Africa, despite the establishment of many health care programs, neonatal mortality rates remain extremely high. From a medical point of view, the main causes are obstetric, along with diarrhea and pneumonia. Understanding how these risks and pathogenic situations are constructed cannot be achieved without observing, analyzing, and understanding the underlying gestures and meaning systems. METHOD: Rather than describing obvious inequalities in the access to health care, our study aimed at questioning the different actors' operational capacities and at considering what is actually possible to improve in the most common healthcare situations. More specifically, how are births, neonatal care, and popular practices carried out in the first days of the lives of these newborns? In five countries of West Africa, a "multi-sited" anthropological study was carried out to observe the first weeks of newborns. This study not only allowed for the methodical identification of care interactions at and around childbirth in peripheral health care services, but also the popular practices related to the socialization of the child in family settings. RESULTS: Our fieldwork investigations show that neonatal risk corresponds to the combination of several sets of behavior. In obstetric services, for reasons linked to the symbolic status of the child as much as to a certain idea of the obstetric profession, the newborn remains marginal in the preoccupations of the midwives. This results in many dysfunctions (not warming the child, leaving the child in a drafty area, not feeding the child…) which constitute discontinuous risk factors.In the village and in the family, the newborn is at the center of many social practices - baths, rituals, ingestions of various "protective" products, period of seclusion, baptism… - which not only aim at conferring an identity and including the infant in the social group, but also build a set of infectious risks.Finally, while health actions build a translation space, no preventive dialogue has been established by healthcare personnel to inform people about the risks associated with certain social practices.Overall, these longitudinal follow-ups of newborns, as well as precise observations and interviews conducted with the actors on their reasons for acting, have made it possible to analyze the attitudes, gestures and social behaviors that constitute the concrete causes of neonatal risk. DISCUSSION: Describing the practices that newborns "benefit from" during their first days is essential to concretely identify and analyze the risks and reasons for high neonatal mortality. The empirical and documented approach of anthropology is essential to carry out these studies. But, more importantly, this qualitative approach must be implemented in vivo and in situ in the health services and during the training of health personnel to create a reflexivity of the caregivers and to initiate professional practices concerned with newborns. In the same way, our studies open the way for precise and documented dialogues with families which will enable the indispensable follow-up care for the newborns and ensure adapted preventive care and coherence in the care provided by the healthcare structures, the families, and the collectivities.

Early versus late fortification of breast milk in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effects of early fortification (EF) versus late fortification (LF) of breast milk (BM) on growth of preterm infants. Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) dealing with the effects of EF versus LF on growth parameters, incidence of adverse events, and duration of hospital stay in preterm infants were included. Data were pooled using the RevMan 5.3 software. Quality of evidence for predefined outcomes was analyzed by GRADE. Available evidence (3 RCTs, 309 preterm infants) showed no statistically significant difference between EF and LF of BM for any of the growth parameters-weight (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.13; 95% confidence interval (CI) - 0.09, 0.36); length (SMD 0.02; 95% CI - 0.20, 0.25); and head circumference (SMD - 0.10; 95% CI - 0.33, 0.12). Total parenteral nutrition days were similar. Duration of hospital stay was significantly higher with EF (MD 4.29; 95% CI 0.84, 7.75) with a trend of non-significant increase in feed intolerance and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).Conclusion: Very low quality evidence did not find any significant difference in growth parameters of preterm infants in association with EF or LF of BM. A significant increase in hospital stay and non-significant increase in feed intolerance and NEC were associated with EF.PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019139235What is Known:• Fortification of breast milk with essential macro- and micronutrients is necessary for optimization of nutrition in preterm infants.• There is no consensus regarding the breast milk feeding volume at which fortification should be initiated.What is New:• Very low quality evidence showed no significant difference between early and late fortification of breast milk on growth parameters of preterm infants.• Early fortification was associated with non-significant increase in feed intolerance and necrotizing enterocolitis and a significant increase in hospital stay.