Abstract
BackgroundWith the rapid development of economy in recent two decades, neonatology has been progressing quickly in China. However, there is little knowledge about the exact developmental status of neonatal departments in China. The aim of this study was to assess resources available for care of sick newborns in mainland China.MethodsQuestionnaires were sent to the membership of the Chinese Neonatologist Association (CNA) and used to survey the scale, facilities, staff, technologies, transport systems and preterm infants’ outcomes of neonatal departments (NDs) in different areas of China from June 2012 to December 2012.ResultsThe result of this survey including a total of 117 questionnaires showed that investigated ND had a mean of 65 (median 47; range 5–450) beds, including 19.59 (median 15, range 0–100) NICU beds. The overall doctor/bed and nurse/bed ratio was 1:3.84 and 1:1.43, respectively. Lack of medical equipment was one of the main problems in most NDs surveyed, and only 26 NDs (22.2%) had more than one neonatal incubator per bed. Only 70.1, 30.6, 30.8 and 4.3% NDs carried out high-frequency ventilation, hypothermia, nitric oxide inhalation, and ECMO respectively. The capacity to provide advanced therapies increased with the size of the NDs (P < .01). A total of 81 NDs (69.2%) carried out neonatal transport, but only 70 NDs (86.4%) were equipped with transport incubators, 36 NDs (44.4%) had the ability of performing intrauterine transport of the preterm infants, and 3 NDs (3.7%) had the ability of performing air transport. The survival rate of extremely preterm infants (Gestational age less than 28w) to discharge home was 47.8% in 2011.ConclusionNDs in mainland China are not well distributed and still face many problems, such as staff shortage, inadequate facilities, and imperfect transport. It is urgent to set up a classification of neonatal care to enhance the utilization rate of medical resources and improve the prognosis of critically ill infants.
Highlights
With the rapid development of economy in recent two decades, neonatology has been progressing quickly in China
150 hospitals endowed with the membership of the Chinese Neonatologist Association (CNA) from 31 provinces/ municipalities/autonomous regions in mainland China were included in this survey, covering the disciplinary scale, facilities, staffing, technical services, transportation systems and intensive care capacities of the Neonatal department (ND) from June 2012 to December 2012
Questionnaire recovery and the basic situation of the hospitals included in the survey Of the 150 eligible hospitals, 117 hospitals responded to the survey with a response rate of 78.0%
Summary
With the rapid development of economy in recent two decades, neonatology has been progressing quickly in China. There is little knowledge about the exact developmental status of neonatal departments in China. China is the most populous country in the world. Despite the population and family planning programs, China remains the country with the world’s second largest number of births, second only to India [2]. Li et al BMC Pediatrics (2019) 19:436 concerning the overall development status due to the lack of effective management systems and data collaboration networks. The goal of this nationwide survey is to gain insights into the developmental status of NDs in mainland China, probe into current problems and explore directions for future development of neonatal intensive care
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
