Assessment of health status at two years of very low birthweight infants--clinical governance.

Overview

Aims to establish a mechanism to determine prospectively the health status at two years of babies who weighed less than 1.5 kg at birth, born and receiving neonatal intensive care in North Wales. Maternal and neonatal data on all babies discharged from each of the three units in North Wales meeting this criteria were collated by the study coordinator. A mechanism for review of the health status at two years, corrected for gestational age, was established using the data set recommended by a working group convened by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and Oxford Regional Health Authority. The procedures developed and the outcome data, for a two year cohort of babies born in 1995 and 1996, are reported. Concludes that prevalence of severe disability was similar to that found in other studies, with a considerable number exhibiting impaired growth and delay in speech development.