From: Newborn intensive care survivors: a review and a plan for collaboration in Texas
Patient population | 2 centers ≤ 1500 g or < 32 weeks |
1 center ≤ 1500 g or ≤ 32 weeks | |
1 center < 1500 g | |
1 center < 800 g | |
1 center < 27 weeks, in any research study or other at team discretion | |
1 center – extended list of NICU graduates | |
Annual census ranged from 200 (private center) to 5,200 (private center with three hospital systems) | |
84 % was highest percentage of Medicaid NICU patients | |
Personnel | 3 academic and 1 private center were supervised by neonatologists; 1 academic and 2 private centers were supervised by developmental pediatricians |
All 7 centers had small, often part-time staff | |
5 centers “borrowed” staff from hospital NICU | |
3 academic centers used physicians-in-training | |
Types of non-physician professional staff involved in follow-up included: advanced nurse practitioner, nurse, social worker, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist (needed most for feeding therapy), audiologist, dietician, nutritionist, lactation consultant, psychometrician, and case manager. | |
Duration of follow-up | 2 years up to 22 years, although the majority of centers reported following patients for 5 years or less. |
Communications with families | 2 centers reported providing verbal and written feedback to parents about testing at the time of the visit |
4 centers reported providing feedback to the parents at the time of the visit, as well as mailing written reports to parents and primary care providers after clinic visits | |
1 center did not include communications in the report | |
Communications with providers | 1 academic center and 2 private centers reported providing updates and maintaining on-going communications with their neonatology groups. The academic center and one of the two private centers reported trying to engage with community pediatricians and include them in meetings or on a committee, while the other private center reported functioning as a de facto medical home. A third private center commented, “We let the pediatricians drive.” |