Primary care framework needed for preterm infant monitoring: AAP

Abstract

Preterm birth and its complications are the leading causes of neonatal illnesses and deaths in the United States; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is calling for a primary care framework (pediatricians) to help monitor these babies. Early identification of neurodevelopmental conditions for children who graduated from the neonatal intensive care unit is critical, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which encourages primary care pediatricians to take a more critical role in the long-term, timely, and coordinated care needed by high-risk infants during their early childhood years.