Efficacy of Oral Melatonin in Preventing Necrotizing Enterocolitis among Preterm Infants in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Philippines: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Currently, there are no established therapeutic options to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). It is one of the most devastating problems that can develop in preterm infants. Melatonin has been shown to enhance NEC outcomes and may be used as a preventative therapy. This study determined the efficacy of oral melatonin in preventing NEC among high-risk preterm infants.

Prediluted-Prefilled Color-Labeled Medication Syringes Decrease Time to Administration and Dosing Error in Neonatal Critical Care Units 

The incidence of errors associated with injectable medications is higher than with other formulations. Studies suggest that half of all harmful medication errors (MEs) originate during drug administration. Of those errors, about two-thirds involve injectables, and may result in potentially life-threatening outcomes, particularly for pediatric patients when dosing requires weight-based calculations. Novel medication delivery systems of ready to administer may reduce dosing errors significantly. Our goal was to evaluate novel, prediluted, and prefilled color-labeled medication syringes ready for infusion, compared with conventional medication administration, in pediatric and neonatal critical care units.

Missed Nursing Care and Informal Task Shifting within Kenyan Newborn Units and the Relationship with Nurse Staffing Levels Are Key Quality Concerns 

Hospital ward staffing levels in resource-constrained low-middle-income countries are extreme. Ethnographic evidence suggests nursing tasks are missed with increased informal task shifting by nurses to caregivers and unsupervised nursing students to cope with care demands. The extent of informal task shifting and how this changes with nurse staffing levels has not been quantified. This study determines the magnitude of missed nursing care and informal nurse task shifting across eight neonatal units in Kenya and examines the relation with nurse staffing.

Evaluating Service Readiness for Small and Sick Newborns to Inform Tracking of the Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) Coverage Target: Baseline Results of a Health Facility Assessment from 65 Facilities in Four African Countries 

Each year, an estimated 30 million vulnerable users of a health system are newborns. Tools for evaluating service readiness are important for assessing the capacity of hospitals to provide quality care. Unfortunately, existing health facility assessment tools do not include key items and interventions specific to small and sick newborn care (SSNC).