Extremely Preterm Infant Admissions Within the SafeBoosC-III Consortium During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Objective: To evaluate if the number of admitted extremely preterm (EP) infants (born before 28 weeks of gestational age) differed in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of the SafeBoosC-III consortium during the global lockdown when compared to the corresponding time period in 2019. Design: This is a retrospective, observational study. Forty-six out of 79 NICUs (58%) from 17 countries participated. Principal investigators were asked to report the following information: (1) Total number of EP infant admissions to their NICU in the 3 months where the lockdown restrictions were most rigorous during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) Similar EP infant admissions in the corresponding 3 months of 2019, (3) the level of local restrictions during the lockdown period, and (4) the local impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the everyday life of a pregnant woman. Results: The number of EP infant admissions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was 428 compared to 457 in the corresponding 3 months in 2019 (-6.6%, 95% CI -18.2 to +7.1%, p = 0.33). There were no statistically significant differences within individual geographic regions and no significant association between the level of lockdown restrictions and difference in the number of EP infant admissions. A post-hoc analysis based on data from the 46 NICUs found a decrease of 10.3%in the total number of NICU admissions (n = 7,499 in 2020 vs. n = 8,362 in 2019). Conclusion: This ad hoc study did not confirm previous reports of a major reduction in the number of extremely pretermbirths during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov, identifier: NCT04527601 (registered August 26, 2020), https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04527601.

Reducing rates of discharge against medical advice in the neonatal intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital in South India: a mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate characteristics among neonates and their mothers who were discharged against medical advice (DAMA), providers' perspectives on DAMA and the effect of an intervention to reduce DAMA in a tertiary care hospital in South India. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study to identify neonates at risk of DAMA. We reviewed charts of neonates and their mothers who were DAMA and conducted logit regression analysis to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to determine associations with DAMA. We conducted focus group discussions with nurses and doctors. We developed an intervention that included family counselling, supplemental funds for hospital bills and involving family members to reduce DAMA. RESULTS: Of 10 834 neonates, 179 (1.7%) were DAMA over the study period. Maternal characteristics associated with DAMA included higher previous parity (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-2.3, P = 0.001). Mothers who received antenatal care had lower odds of DAMA (aOR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.7, P = 0.039). Neonates with lower birth weight (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.7-9.4, P = 0.002) and congenital malformations (aOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.1-5.3, P = 0.005) also had higher odds of DAMA. The most commonly cited reasons for DAMA were financial constraints, inadequate counselling and perceived poor prognosis. The average monthly number of neonates who were DAMA decreased from 3.6 (1.6%) to 1.5 (0.6%) after our multi-pronged intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Neonates with severe illness and poor prognosis had higher odds of DAMA. A multi-pronged intervention demonstrated reductions in the rates of DAMA. This intervention may be trialled in similar settings to reduce DAMA.