Neonatology Fellow University of South Florida Seffner, Florida, United States
Background: Premature very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, defined as less than or equal to 1500 grams, routinely require prolonged stays in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The few studies that have investigated parental involvement during the NICU admission revealed improved outcomes with increased parental visitation in the NICU. Additionally, recent literature has shown that racial and ethnic variations can impact neonatal morbidity and mortality. Data is lacking regarding health disparities and potential barriers to parental visitation. Objective: The objective of our study is to investigate the interaction of parental visitation in the NICU and neonatal outcomes within the context of various health disparities in VLBW infants. Design/Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive analysis involving VLBW neonates who were admitted to an 82-bed Level IV NICU from 2012-2022. We will collect data on birth weight, gestational age, gender, race/ethnicity, zip codes, health insurance, and parental participation rates (defined as days spent touching, feeding, bathing, or completing skin-to-skin care). Outcomes data include length of stay, chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and necrotizing enterocolitis. This study has been approved by the University of South Florida IRB for an exemption as data will be collected retrospectively. We expect data extraction to be completed by October 2023, with quality assurance and chart abstraction by November 2023, data analysis by January 2024, and completion of project by March 2024.
