Preterm Birth


Book Description

The increasing prevalence of preterm birth in the United States is a complex public health problem that requires multifaceted solutions. Preterm birth is a cluster of problems with a set of overlapping factors of influence. Its causes may include individual-level behavioral and psychosocial factors, sociodemographic and neighborhood characteristics, environmental exposure, medical conditions, infertility treatments, and biological factors. Many of these factors co-occur, particularly in those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. While advances in perinatal and neonatal care have improved survival for preterm infants, those infants who do survive have a greater risk than infants born at term for developmental disabilities, health problems, and poor growth. The birth of a preterm infant can also bring considerable emotional and economic costs to families and have implications for public-sector services, such as health insurance, educational, and other social support systems. Preterm Birth assesses the problem with respect to both its causes and outcomes. This book addresses the need for research involving clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science disciplines. By defining and addressing the health and economic consequences of premature birth, this book will be of particular interest to health care professionals, public health officials, policy makers, professional associations and clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science researchers.




Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 2)


Book Description

The evaluation of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) by the Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (DCP3) focuses on maternal conditions, childhood illness, and malnutrition. Specifically, the chapters address acute illness and undernutrition in children, principally under age 5. It also covers maternal mortality, morbidity, stillbirth, and influences to pregnancy and pre-pregnancy. Volume 3 focuses on developments since the publication of DCP2 and will also include the transition to older childhood, in particular, the overlap and commonality with the child development volume. The DCP3 evaluation of these conditions produced three key findings: 1. There is significant difficulty in measuring the burden of key conditions such as unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, nonsexually transmitted infections, infertility, and violence against women. 2. Investments in the continuum of care can have significant returns for improved and equitable access, health, poverty, and health systems. 3. There is a large difference in how RMNCH conditions affect different income groups; investments in RMNCH can lessen the disparity in terms of both health and financial risk.







Birth Settings in America


Book Description

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.




The World Health Report 2005


Book Description

Each year, almost 11 million children under five years of age die from largely preventable causes, whilst about half a million women die in pregnancy, childbirth or soon after. This year's report focuses on maternal, newborn and child health issues as an integral part of progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals targets and promoting poverty reduction. It identifies exclusion as a key feature of inequity as well as a barrier to progress, and sets out strategies required to ensure universal access to health care and social health insurance systems for every mother and child, through a continuum that extends from pregnancy through childbirth, the neonatal period and childhood.




Reducing Birth Defects


Book Description

Each year more than 4 million children are born with birth defects. This book highlights the unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of children and families in developing countries by preventing some birth defects and reducing the consequences of others. A number of developing countries with more comprehensive health care systems are making significant progress in the prevention and care of birth defects. In many other developing countries, however, policymakers have limited knowledge of the negative impact of birth defects and are largely unaware of the affordable and effective interventions available to reduce the impact of certain conditions. Reducing Birth Defects: Meeting the Challenge in the Developing World includes descriptions of successful programs and presents a plan of action to address critical gaps in the understanding, prevention, and treatment of birth defects in developing countries. This study also recommends capacity building, priority research, and institutional and global efforts to reduce the incidence and impact of birth defects in developing countries.




Preventing Low Birthweight


Book Description

Despite recent declines in infant mortality, the rates of low birthweight deliveries in the United States continue to be high. Part I of this volume defines the significance of the problems, presents current data on risk factors and etiology, and reviews recent state and national trends in the incidence of low birthweight among various groups. Part II describes the preventive approaches found most desirable and considers their costs. Research needs are discussed throughout the volume.




Science and Babies


Book Description

By all indicators, the reproductive health of Americans has been deteriorating since 1980. Our nation is troubled by rates of teen pregnancies and newborn deaths that are worse than almost all others in the Western world. Science and Babies is a straightforward presentation of the major reproductive issues we face that suggests answers for the public. The book discusses how the clash of opinions on sex and family planning prevents us from making a national commitment to reproductive health; why people in the United States have fewer contraceptive choices than those in many other countries; what we need to do to improve social and medical services for teens and people living in poverty; how couples should "shop" for a fertility service and make consumer-wise decisions; and what we can expect in the futureâ€"featuring interesting accounts of potential scientific advances.




Merenstein & Gardner's Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care - E-Book


Book Description

Co-authored by an interprofessional collaborative team of physicians and nurses, Merenstein & Gardner's Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care, 9th Edition is the leading resource for interprofessional, collaborative care of critically ill newborns. It offers comprehensive coverage with a unique interprofessional collaborative approach and a real-world perspective that make it a practical guide for both nurses and physicians. The new ninth edition features a wealth of expanded content on delivery-room care; new evidence-based care "bundles"; palliative care in the NICU; interprofessional collaborative care of parents with depression, grief, and complicated grief; and new pain assessment tools. Updated high-quality references have also been reintegrated into the book, making it easier for clinicians to locate research evidence and standards of care with minimal effort. These additions, along with updates throughout, ensure that clinicians are equipped with the very latest clinical care guidelines and practice recommendations — all in a practical quick-reference format for easy retrieval and review. - UNIQUE! Core author team of two physicians and two nurses gives this internationally recognized reference a true interprofessional collaborative approach that is unmatched by any other resource. - Consistent organization within clinical chapters include Physiology/Pathophysiology, Etiology, Prevention, Data Collection (History, Signs and Symptoms, and Laboratory Data), Treatment/Intervention, Complications, and Parent Teaching sections. - UNIQUE! Color-highlighted point-of-care clinical content makes high-priority clinical content quick and easy to find. - UNIQUE! Parent Teaching boxes outline the relevant information to be shared with a patient's caregivers. - Critical Findings boxes outline symptoms and diagnostic findings that require immediate attention to help the provider prioritize assessment data and steps in initial care. - Case studies demonstrate how to apply essential content to realistic clinical scenarios for application-based learning. - NEW! Updated content throughout reflects the latest evidence-based practice, national and international guidelines, and current protocols for interprofessional collaborative practice in the NICU. - NEW! Up-to-date, high-quality references are now reintegrated into the text for quick retrieval, making it easier for clinicians to locate research evidence and standards of care with minimal effort. - NEW! Expanded content on delivery-room care includes the impact of staffing on quality of care, delayed cord clamping, resuscitation, and more. - NEW! Coverage of the new evidence-based care "bundles" keeps clinicians up to date on new guidelines that have demonstrated improved outcomes of very preterm infants. - NEW! Coverage of new pain assessment tools equips NICU providers with essential resources for maintaining patient comfort. - NEW! Expanded coverage of palliative care in the NICU provides the tools needed to ensure patient comfort. - NEW! Expanded coverage of interprofessional collaborative care of parents with depression, grief, and complicated grief prepares clinicians for this essential area of practice.




Economic Evaluation in Clinical Trials


Book Description

It is becoming increasingly important to examine the relationship between the outcomes of a clinical trial and the costs of the medical therapy under study. The results of such analysis can affect reimbursement decisions for new medical technologies, drugs, devices or diagnostics. It can aid companies seeking to make claims about the cost-effectiveness of their product, as well as allowing early consideration of the economic value of therapies which may be important to improving initial adoption decisions. It is also vital for addressing the requirements of regulatory bodies. Economic Evaluation in Clinical Trials provides practical advice on how to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses in controlled trials of medical therapies. This new edition has been extensively rewritten and revised; topics discussed range from design issues such as the types of services that should be measured and price weights, to assessment of quality-adjusted life years. Illustrative materials, case histories and worked examples are included to encourage the reader to apply the methods discussed. These exercises are supported with datasets, programmes and solutions made available online.