Abstract
The concept of designations for hospital facilities that care for newborn infants according to the level of complexity of care provided was first proposed in 1976. Subsequent diversity in the definitions and application of levels of care has complicated facility-based evaluation of clinical outcomes, resource allocation and utilization, and service delivery. We review data supporting the need for uniform nationally applicable definitions and the clinical basis for a proposed classification based on complexity of care. Facilities that provide hospital care for newborn infants should be classified on the basis of functional capabilities, and these facilities should be organized within a regionalized system of perinatal care.
Publisher
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Subject
Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
Reference47 articles.
1. Committee on Perinatal Health. Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy: Recommendations for the Regional Development of Maternal and Perinatal Health Services. White Plains, NY: March of Dimes National Foundation; 1976
2. Goodman DG, Fisher ES, Little GA, Stukel TA, Chang CH, Schoendorf KS. The relation between the availability of neonatal intensive care and neonatal mortality. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:1538–1544
3. Castles AG, Milstein A, Damberg CL. Using employer purchasing power to improve the quality of perinatal care. Pediatrics. 1999;103:248–254
4. Cors WK. Physician executives must leap with the frog. Accountability for safety and quality ultimately lie with the doctors in charge. Physician Exec. 2001;27(6):14–16
5. Committee on Perinatal Health. Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy: The 90s and Beyond. White Plains, NY: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation; 1993
Cited by
496 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献