24/7 in house attending staff coverage improves neonatal short-term outcomes: A retrospective study. (January 2018) - Bensouda, Brahim
Abstract: Objectives: to compare short-term outcomes of newborns over 36 weeks with Apgar scores ≤ 3 at 1 min, following the adoption of a 24/7 in house coverage schedule Study design: A retrospective chart review comparing two 12-month epochs. Epoch 1: coverage provided by residents with availability on call at home of attending staff. Epoch 2: On site coverage by attending staff. Results: 71 and 60 charts were reviewed from Epoch 1 and 2 respectively. The number of infants receiving chest compressions was reduced during Epoch 2 (from 19% to 1.6%, p < 0.0001). The proportion of infants admitted to the NICU (81% vs 61%, p < 0.01), and the median length of stay in hospital (61 vs 48 h, p = 0.03) were significantly reduced in Epoch 2. Conclusion(s): Continuous coverage by attending staff decreased the number of admissions to intensive care as well as the duration of hospitalization stay for newborns with low Apgar scores