title: Follow up of infants following discharge from the neonatal unit: structure and process.
abstract: Reviewing high risk infants after discharge to provide ongoing clinical care and to monitor later outcomes is an important role for neonatologists and paediatricians. Clinical need is the primary reason for such follow up but the process does provide additional opportunities, for example collecting information on later outcomes is vital for health care commissioning, and to determine the longer term effects of new medical treatments. Parents welcome the early identification of any problems in their infant and the opportunity for early intervention may improve outcomes in some circumstances. However, depending on the model adopted, follow up can be costly and this expenditure must be justified by considering the benefits obtained.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Lecturer in Child Health, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, PO Box 65, Leicester, LE2 7LX, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dorling
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008485:Medical Audit; D010351:Patient Discharge; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic