Other content tagged: prevention
Information about impending preterm birth – Gap between parents’ needs and current practice
One out of ten newborns is born preterm, meaning birth occurs more than three weeks earlier than the expected date. These babies have higher morbidity and mortality, requiring special medical support from Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). For parents, a preterm birth is associated with uncertainty, stress, and potential loss. Effective information exchange about impending preterm birth between families and medical staff is necessary to improve the well-being of both newborns and parents. However,…
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Strengthening the competence of mothers in the prevention of preterm birth – Development of a new tool to personalise healthcare prevention
Preterm birth is associated with severe short and long-term consequences for the child, including increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, good preventive strategies are a powerful resource to reduce these adverse outcomes. Preventive behaviours include adequate nutrition, physical activity, good stress management, regular health check-ups, and the ability to identify and act on risk symptoms. Yet every woman is different, has different knowledge and self-efficacy when it comes to nutrition or exercise.…
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Estimating pregnant women’s’ risk of pre-eclampsia using artificial intelligence – with a focus on expectant mothers around the world
The leading cause of maternal deaths continues to be pre-eclampsia. The disease causes 46,000 maternal deaths annually as well as preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirths. Although living in a country with a lower gross domestic product increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, pregnant women from these countries are underrepresented in pre-eclampsia research. To address this issue, a new risk prediction model called PIERS-ML was developed, including more than 10,000 women from the…
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The scientific debate on the use of probiotics in preterm infants: Does it save or risk infants’ lives?
The death of a preterm infant associated with bacteria in the probiotic prevention-treatment of NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) caused a stir. As a result, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a warning advising against the administration of probiotics in preterm and low birth weight infants. In a reply, the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) now takes the side of long-standing research findings and criticises the…
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Highlighting the power of nutrition: New recommendations on preventing preterm birth through omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy
Preterm birth is difficult to predict and most women who deliver preterm have no prior risk factors. Recent studies now agree that there is a promising, effective, and safe way to prevent preterm birth and especially early preterm birth. The daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids by pregnant women can reduce the risk to deliver preterm by up to 50% whilst being easy to integrate into the daily diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are…
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Safety unveiled: COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy and the reassuring truth about its impact on the risk of preterm birth
Amid the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccination during pregnancy, specifically in relation to preterm birth, took centre stage. A systematic review comprising six studies with more than 35,000 patients from diverse geographical locations aims to shed light on the safety of Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy. The analysis reveals no significant increase in the risk of preterm birth after vaccination. These…
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Infection prevention and control in neonatal units: interactions between healthcare providers and mothers
Aiming to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections, a study from Ghana explored the role of mothers and healthcare providers (HPs) in infection prevention and control (IPC) for newborns in neonatal intensive care units. Both groups involved faced problems, particularly when interacting with each other, resulting in insufficient IPC interventions. While mothers received not enough information and felt insecure and stressed, the HPs reported not to have the capacity to collaborate in a better way. ©…
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Development and validation of a screening questionnaire for early identification of pregnant women at risk for excessive gestational weight gain
In a significant effort to improve preventive care, a team of researchers developed and validated a screening questionnaire to identify pregnant women at risk for excessive gestational weight gain (GWG). This project, a cooperation between the TU Munich and EFCNI, found some relevant risk factors for GWG, and created a questionnaire to accurately identify people at risk for GWG. Despite the promising results, more research in this area is encouraged. Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG)…
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Platinum Partner AstraZeneca produced and funded “Sounds of RSV” to support awareness of symptoms
Our partnership with AstraZeneca is part of the EFCNI’s ongoing dedication to raising awareness amongst parents and healthcare professionals about the symptoms of RSV infection and how it can be prevented. With around 33 million acute lower respiratory infections caused each year, RSV infection is one of the most common causes of early life wheezing illness.[1,2] Babies who are born prematurely or who have underlying health issues such as heart or…
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