[Organisation of treatment of newborns]

Abstract

The total number of births in Denmark in 2004 was 60,670. It is a challenge to organise neonatal care in such a way that the great majority of healthy normal newborns can be born into their families with a minimum of disturbance from the health care system. A need for treatment after birth, however, is not uncommon (10-15%) and can occur unexpectedly. In this context, it is an advantage that 99% of births take place in hospitals, but it is a neonatologic viewpoint that all births should take place in hospitals with a neonatal special care unit. There are presently 17 neonatal special care units and 33 delivery units in Denmark. International experience shows that about 1% of all newborns require intensive care, and the current numbers from the new national database of disease-related groups classification in Denmark are in agreement. The database indicates that 59% (394 of 663) of the newborn intensive care in 2004 was provided by Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital) and the university hospitals of Odense and Skejby. The restrictive use of mechanical ventilation in Denmark, the short geographical distances and the short working hours of physicians may all be good reasons for this centralisation.