Neonatal care of low-risk newborns. An approach to evidence-based health care planning in Styria

Duration: May 2006 -  March 2007

Research question/objective: Postnatal care of healthy newborns is managed in western countries in quite different ways. With the high proportion of women delivering their babies in hospitals, the permanent postnatal medical care of paediatricians (with additional qualifications in neonatology and intensive medicine) alongside the traditional care by midwives and obstetrician is increasingly demanded, even in peripheral hospitals. It is the task of the project to research the evidence for the effectiveness of different models of care for healthy newborns. The research question is if postnatal care (within 1-3 days after delivery) leads to better clinical outcomes with an additional permanent paediatrician or with the traditional model of patient visits by residential paediatricians in peripheral hospitals.

Method: Systematic review

Content: Paediatric care in Austria; models of different roles of paediatricians in postnatal care of healthy newborns; international guidelines and recommendations; time-relevant diagnosis and therapies in postnatal care

Publication: HTA-Projektbericht 04

Contact: Ingrid Zechmeister