TY - JOUR
T1 - Variation in follow-up for children born very preterm in Europe
AU - Seppänen, Anna Veera
AU - Barros, Henrique
AU - Draper, Elizabeth S.
AU - Petrou, Stavros
AU - Andronis, Lazaros
AU - Kim, Sungwook
AU - Maier, Rolf F.
AU - Pedersen, Pernille
AU - Gadzinowski, Janusz
AU - Pierrat, Véronique
AU - Sarrechia, Iemke
AU - Lebeer, Jo
AU - Ǻdén, Ulrika
AU - Toome, Liis
AU - Thiele, Nicole
AU - van Heijst, Arno
AU - Cuttini, Marina
AU - Zeitlin, Jennifer
AU - The SHIPS research group
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Background: Children born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) face high risks of neurodevelopmental and health difficulties compared with children born at term. Follow-up after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit is essential to ensure early detection and intervention, but data on policy approaches are sparse. Methods: We investigated the characteristics of follow-up policy and programmes in 11 European countries from 2011 to 2022 using healthcare informant questionnaires and the published/grey literature. We further explored how one aspect of follow-up, its recommended duration, may be reflected in the percent of parents reporting that their children are receiving follow-up services at 5 years of age in these countries using data from an area-based cohort of very preterm births in 2011/12 (N ¼ 3635). Results: Between 2011/12 and 22, the number of countries with follow-up policies or programmes increased from 6 to 11. The policies and programmes were heterogeneous in eligibility criteria, duration and content. In countries that recommended longer follow-up, parent-reported follow-up rates at 5 years of age were higher, especially among the highest risk children, born <28 weeks' gestation or with birthweight <1000 g: between 42.1% and 70.1%, vs. <20% in most countries without recommendations. Conclusions:Large variations exist in follow-up policies and programmes for children born very preterm in Europe; differences in recommended duration translate into cross-country disparities in reported follow-up at 5 years of age.
AB - Background: Children born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) face high risks of neurodevelopmental and health difficulties compared with children born at term. Follow-up after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit is essential to ensure early detection and intervention, but data on policy approaches are sparse. Methods: We investigated the characteristics of follow-up policy and programmes in 11 European countries from 2011 to 2022 using healthcare informant questionnaires and the published/grey literature. We further explored how one aspect of follow-up, its recommended duration, may be reflected in the percent of parents reporting that their children are receiving follow-up services at 5 years of age in these countries using data from an area-based cohort of very preterm births in 2011/12 (N ¼ 3635). Results: Between 2011/12 and 22, the number of countries with follow-up policies or programmes increased from 6 to 11. The policies and programmes were heterogeneous in eligibility criteria, duration and content. In countries that recommended longer follow-up, parent-reported follow-up rates at 5 years of age were higher, especially among the highest risk children, born <28 weeks' gestation or with birthweight <1000 g: between 42.1% and 70.1%, vs. <20% in most countries without recommendations. Conclusions:Large variations exist in follow-up policies and programmes for children born very preterm in Europe; differences in recommended duration translate into cross-country disparities in reported follow-up at 5 years of age.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183662898&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/eurpub/ckad192
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckad192
M3 - Article
C2 - 37978865
AN - SCOPUS:85183662898
SN - 1101-1262
VL - 34
SP - 91
EP - 100
JO - European Journal of Public Health
JF - European Journal of Public Health
IS - 1
ER -