This column is part of an ongoing series on selected perinatal and neonatal focused Internet resources that are useful for clinical practice, teaching, or professional development. The sites discussed in this column include the "Multidisciplinary Guidelines for the Care of Late Preterm Infants" from the National Perinatal Association, the Infant Health Foundation, revised policy on screening for retinopathy of prematurity, Peristats, and The Visible Embryo.
The National Perinatal Association has published "Multidisciplinary Guidelines for the Care of Late Preterm Infants." These guidelines are available at http://www.nationalperinatal.org/lptguidelines/pdf/NPALatePretermGuidelines-11-1. The guidelines were developed by a multidisciplinary steering committee (including physicians and nurse representing both perinatal and neonatal perspectives) in collaboration with professional organizations in this area and have been endorsed by these and other organizations including the Academy of Neonatal Nursing, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Nurse-Midwives, Association of Women's Health, Council of International Neonatal Nurses, and National Association of Neonatal Nurses. Content includes guidelines (both care of the infant and for family education) for in-hospital care, transition to outpatient care, and short- and long-term follow-up care.
The Infant Health Foundation (http://infanthealthfoundation.org/) was established in 2012 by Chantal Lau, PhD, to "improve the care of babies and infants by developing and publishing evidence-based protocols, best practices and standards."1 Dr Lau's research has focused in the area of development of oral feeding skills and that is the initial focus of this recently established Web site. Currently, there are modules (available as narrated slide presentations) on the "Fundamentals of Oral Feeding Skills, Immature Suck, Swallow, Respiration Can Lead to Oral Feeding Difficulties" and "Deterrent Factors That Can Affect Oral Feeding." Also included are a list of selected articles related to the oral feeding (with links to copies of the articles) and a questions/discussion area. Discussions are limited to date, since this is a relatively new site, but include one on cue-based feeding.
The revised policy statement on "Screening Examination of Premature Infants for Retinopathy of Prematurity" from the AAP Section on Ophthalmology, the American Academy Ophthalmology, and others is available on the AAP Web site (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/189.full). This updated guidelines was also published in Pediatrics.2 The statement "presents the attributes on which an effective program for detecting and treating ROP could be based, including the timing of initial examination and subsequent reexamination intervals."2(p189)
PeriStats (http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/Peristats.aspx) is an online resource for perinatal statistics from the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center.3 "Aggregating data from 12 government agencies and organizations, PeriStats provides access to the most current maternal and infant health statistics on topics such as preterm birth, infant mortality, tobacco use, cesarean section rates, and health insurance coverage. Detailed information by race, ethnicity, and maternal age for many indicators is also available."3 These data can be viewed as graphs, maps, or tables, which can also be downloaded into presentations and reports.
The Visible Embryo (http://www.visembryo.com/) is a site summarizing embryologic and fetal development from conception to birth and is useful for students, clinicians, and families. The size of the embryo or fetus and major developmental events are described for each week (and initially on a day-by-day basis) throughout gestation. The site also includes a table of selected prescription drugs and summary of any concerns with their use in pregnancy and a weekly summary of research on pregnancy, genetics, and preterm birth.
-Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor Emeritus
Department of Family and Child Nursing
University of Washington, Seattle
References