A Survey on the Organization and Operation of Level II/III Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Greece: A Comparison Between 2004 and 2022.

IF 2 4区 医学 Q2 PEDIATRICS Children-Basel Pub Date : 2025-01-13 DOI:10.3390/children12010085
Kosmas Sarafidis, Nicoletta Iacovidou, Eleftheria Hatzidaki, Ilias Chatziioannidis, Gabriel Dimitriou
{"title":"A Survey on the Organization and Operation of Level II/III Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Greece: A Comparison Between 2004 and 2022.","authors":"Kosmas Sarafidis, Nicoletta Iacovidou, Eleftheria Hatzidaki, Ilias Chatziioannidis, Gabriel Dimitriou","doi":"10.3390/children12010085","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Limited data exist on the organization and operation of Level II/III Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Greece; this retrospective cross-sectional survey explored their structure and functioning in 2004 and 2022.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A structured questionnaire was utilized, along with demographic and perinatal data obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between 2004 and 2022, live births decreased by 28%, while the prematurity rate rose from 6.96% to 11.87% (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Significant regional differences were observed in the number of NICUs (<i>p</i> = 0.033), live births (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and NICUs per 10,000 live births (<i>p</i> = 0.025). In this survey, data from 20 Level III NICUs in 2004 and 22 NICUs (one Level II) in 2022 were analyzed. NICU admissions increased by 16.1% (<i>p</i> = 0.389), while the rate of admitted neonates/1000 live births increased from 13.5 to 21.8 (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In 2022, premature infants constituted 40.2% of NICU admissions. The number of board-certified neonatologists increased by 21.8% between 2004 and 2022 (<i>p</i> = 0.795), along with a rise in the ratio of neonatologists per 10,000 live births (from 14.8 to 25, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Conversely, there was a significant 17.2% reduction in the nursing staff by 2022 (<i>p</i> = 0.034). The number of available NICU beds also increased during the study period. The ratio of ventilators to intensive care beds significantly improved (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In 2022, new treatment modalities, like therapeutic hypothermia, were introduced, and most NICUs reported offering long-term follow-up programs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This survey highlights significant advancements in Level II/III NICU infrastructure and care capabilities, while emphasizing demographic changes and a critical shortage of neonatal nursing staff. These factors should be carefully considered by health authorities in the development of future neonatal care strategic planning in the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":48588,"journal":{"name":"Children-Basel","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11764378/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Children-Basel","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010085","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background/objectives: Limited data exist on the organization and operation of Level II/III Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Greece; this retrospective cross-sectional survey explored their structure and functioning in 2004 and 2022.

Methods: A structured questionnaire was utilized, along with demographic and perinatal data obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.

Results: Between 2004 and 2022, live births decreased by 28%, while the prematurity rate rose from 6.96% to 11.87% (p < 0.001). Significant regional differences were observed in the number of NICUs (p = 0.033), live births (p < 0.001), and NICUs per 10,000 live births (p = 0.025). In this survey, data from 20 Level III NICUs in 2004 and 22 NICUs (one Level II) in 2022 were analyzed. NICU admissions increased by 16.1% (p = 0.389), while the rate of admitted neonates/1000 live births increased from 13.5 to 21.8 (p < 0.001). In 2022, premature infants constituted 40.2% of NICU admissions. The number of board-certified neonatologists increased by 21.8% between 2004 and 2022 (p = 0.795), along with a rise in the ratio of neonatologists per 10,000 live births (from 14.8 to 25, respectively, p < 0.001). Conversely, there was a significant 17.2% reduction in the nursing staff by 2022 (p = 0.034). The number of available NICU beds also increased during the study period. The ratio of ventilators to intensive care beds significantly improved (p < 0.001). In 2022, new treatment modalities, like therapeutic hypothermia, were introduced, and most NICUs reported offering long-term follow-up programs.

Conclusions: This survey highlights significant advancements in Level II/III NICU infrastructure and care capabilities, while emphasizing demographic changes and a critical shortage of neonatal nursing staff. These factors should be carefully considered by health authorities in the development of future neonatal care strategic planning in the country.

查看原文
分享 分享
微信好友 朋友圈 QQ好友 复制链接
本刊更多论文
希腊II/III级新生儿重症监护病房组织与运营调查:2004年与2022年的比较。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 去求助
来源期刊
Children-Basel
Children-Basel PEDIATRICS-
CiteScore
2.70
自引率
16.70%
发文量
1735
审稿时长
6 weeks
期刊介绍: Children is an international, open access journal dedicated to a streamlined, yet scientifically rigorous, dissemination of peer-reviewed science related to childhood health and disease in developed and developing countries. The publication focuses on sharing clinical, epidemiological and translational science relevant to children’s health. Moreover, the primary goals of the publication are to highlight under‑represented pediatric disciplines, to emphasize interdisciplinary research and to disseminate advances in knowledge in global child health. In addition to original research, the journal publishes expert editorials and commentaries, clinical case reports, and insightful communications reflecting the latest developments in pediatric medicine. By publishing meritorious articles as soon as the editorial review process is completed, rather than at predefined intervals, Children also permits rapid open access sharing of new information, allowing us to reach the broadest audience in the most expedient fashion.
期刊最新文献
Incidence and Characteristics of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Midwestern State Analysis. Child Poverty and Its Associated Issues in A City, Tokyo: Insights from Community-Based Participatory Research. Correlation of Neuroanatomical Structures Related to Speech in Cerebral Palsy Patients Aged 0-17: A Retrospective MRI Study. Determinant Factors and Characteristics of Injuries Among Preschool Children in Public Daycare Centers. Literature Review of Various Treatments in CNPAS and a Proposed Novel Clinical Treatment Algorithm.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
已复制链接
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
×
扫码分享
扫码分享
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1