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July 2002 Handbook helps provide better care for babies
Local infants undergoing care in Sunshine Hospital’s Special Care Nursery are among thousands of premature and newborn babies set to benefit from the launch of a new neonatal handbook for health professionals. Developed by the Neonatal Professional Links Sub-Committee with support from the Department of Human Services, the handbook aims to provide a uniform approach to the clinical management of conditions regularly encountered by Special Care Nurseries throughout Victoria. ‘Common conditions such as poor feeding and vomiting are among the 80 topics covered in the new handbook, as well as more serious conditions such as breathing difficulties and convulsions,’ said Sunshine Hospital’s Director of Child Health Martin Wright. Almost two years in the making, the neonatal handbook also aims to foster professional links between Victoria’s 18 Special Care Nurseries and four Neonatal Intensive Care Units. ‘With the number of babies requiring observation and ongoing care following birth rising, there’s an increasing need to provide health professionals with up-to-date and comprehensive information on common conditions and protocols,’ said Dr Wright. ‘This handbook will provide the best available evidence and consensus guidelines for the management of newborn conditions—whether a baby is cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or a community-based Special Care Nursery.’ Sunshine Hospital’s Special Care Nursery Manager Lauren Newman also welcomed the launch of the handbook. ‘Nursing, midwifery and medical staff working in the hospital’s Special Care Nursery are constantly required to review their practices and build on their skills,’ said Ms Newman. ‘The new neonatal handbook will provide staff with easily-accessible information and enable the nursery to benchmark its practice against leading teaching hospitals.’ • The neonatal handbook is available on the internet at http://www.rch.unimelb.edu.au/nets/handbook/ |
