| Background: High‑risk infant follow‑up (HRIF) program is necessary for early detection, timely
intervention, and promotion of health outcomes in vulnerable infants, ethically. The present study
was carried out to assess the clinical outcomes of the HRIF Program in Alzahra hospital as a tertiary
care centre, in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cohort study, 5840 neonates were born at
Alzahra hospital, from June 1, 2011 to 30th February 2012. Among those who were admitted to
neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), 253 infants were recruited by census according to HRIs criteria.
After doing necessary measurements and family education, information was recorded in HRI health
certificate and then entered in the access database for analysis. Results: From 253 eligible HRIs
registered, 241 (95%) infants attended the follow‑up clinic after discharge. A total of180 cases
were recalled for further visits, 110 of which attended the clinic. Anthropometric indices had an
increasing trend in the first 6 months of life. There was no significant relation between ages and
stages questionnaire (ASQ) results and infant birth weight, height, and head circumference. The
ratios of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were 8.7% and
3.1%, respectively. The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism was 2:341 in HRIs. Conclusions:
Although some outcomes, such as ROP, improved in our study compared to similar studies, the
findings indicate an impairment of the current follow‑up processes and highlight the necessity to
modify the current HRIF program. Ethically, we insist on integrating HRIF program in child health
services to promote early childhood development. |