PS-262 Risk Profile To Prevent Re-admittance To The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

<h3>Background and aims</h3> Infants at the Neonatology Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Emma Children’s Hospital/Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam are transferred to regional hospitals once they no longer need intensive care. Unfortunately, a number of these infants are re-admitted to the NICU. This study investigates the similarities between these hospitalised infants, in order to develop a way to limit the number of infants re-admitted to the NICU. <h3>Methods</h3> The first step in the process is to classify different diagnoses for re-admittance of infants to the NICU. By using these diagnoses, and adding parameters resulting from a search of literature, a set of risk parameters can be created. This set will be used to retrospectively analyse the nursing files of infants re-admitted to the NICU within 72 h after discharge. The exclusion criteria used were re-admittance for phototherapy, inserting an IV or planned surgical or treatment interventions. <h3>Results</h3> From July 2009 to July 2013, 44 infants were re-hospitalised at the NICU. Nineteen infants met the inclusion criteria. Of these 19 infants a (graphical) risk profile could be created showing the physiological (in)stability in the three days before discharge. <h3>Conclusions</h3> This study shows that infants have different early warning signs of physiological instability. However this instability can be expressed in a risk score, which might predict the chance that the infants are re-admitted to the NICU. The NICU may thus decide to not discharge the infant for a few more days. Further research on the utilisation of the risk score is needed.