Early discharge of newborn infants before formal neonatal examination: a new model of practice
- 1Department of Paediatrics, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, Cambs, UK
- 2Department of Paediatrics, Bedford Hospital, Bedford, UK
- Dr H Wong, Department of Paediatrics, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, Huntingdon, Cambs PE29 6NT, UK; hilary.wong{at}hinchingbrooke.nhs.uk
- Accepted 15 July 2008
We wish to report a new and safe practice of neonatal discharges before formal screening examinations. Routine physical examination of all newborn infants before discharge from hospital is regarded as good practice. Traditionally, neonatal examinations are performed by paediatric trainees.
Recently, there has been a trend towards earlier maternal discharge after normal delivery. Correspondingly, neonatal examinations are requested as early as possible to avoid delay in maternal discharges. However, the reduction in junior doctors’ working hours in accordance with the European Working Time Directives restricts such service provision, and demand for early discharges continues to exceed resources …
