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Table 5 Research priorities for reducing deaths and disability in preterm babies.

From: Born Too Soon: Care for the preterm baby

Description

• Standardised, simplified metrics for assessing acute morbidities in premature babies and tools and protocols for comparable follow up of impairment and disability in premature babies

Discovery

• Biomarkers of neonatal sepsis

• Sensitive, specific identification of sepsis in preterm and other newborns

• Shorter course antibiotics, oral, fewer side effects

• Stability of oral surfactant

Development

• Development of simpler, lower-cost, robust devices (See Table 5.3 for full list)

• Simplified identification of preterm babies in communities, increased accuracy of GA in facilities

• Community initiation of Kangaroo Mother Care

Delivery

Implementation research to understand and accelerate scaling up of facility based care:

• KMC, including quality improvement, task shifting

• Feeding support for preterm babies

• Infection case management protocols and quality improvement

• Improved care of RDS, including safe oxygen use protocols and practices

• Infection prevention

Implementation research at community level

• Simplified improved identification for premature babies

• Referral strategies

• Feasibility and effect of home care for preterm babies in humanitarian emergencies or where referral is not possible

  1. Source: Born Too Soon, Chapter 5 [113].