A review of neonatal attendances out of hours in a Dublin maternity hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND All neonates have free open access to the Baby Clinic at the maternity hospitals in Dublin for assessment of neonatal health issues. Through observation, however there is an increase in number of neonates attending the hospital outside the Baby Clinic hours.

Aims: To determine the number of neonates attending the acute neonatal service out of hours and to identify the percentage of neonates treated as true emergency.

Methods: Retrospective chart review over a twelve-month period.

Results: Seven hundred and thirty-two neonates attended the hospital out of hours. The majority were diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems (228/31%), jaundice (101/13.7%), respiratory problems (82/11.1%) and skin disorders (79/10.7%). Only 106 (14.4%) attendances warranted admissions.

Conclusions: A large number of neonatal attendances did not require acute assessment out of hours and were managed by reassurance and maternal education. A centralized phone-in-triage system was suggested to relieve the strain on the acute neonatal service.