title: Preemie abandonment? Multidisciplinary experts consider how to best meet preemies needs at "preterm infants: a collaborative approach to specialized care" roundtable.
abstract: In June 2006, the Institute of Medicine (LoM), released a comprehensive study, Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention. The report was a result of the IoM's efforts, in particular the Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes, to better understand and prevent preterm birth and improve care for babies born prematurely. After its publication, a group of health care professionals came together in a roundtable session, "Preterm Infants: A Collaborative Approach to Specialized Care," to discuss the implications of the report. The following article captures the group's April 2007 discussion about the clinical and societal problems of preterm birth. It should be of interest to hospital administrators, pediatricians, third-party payers, policy makers, public health officials, academic researchers, funding agencies, allied health professionals, and others with a vested interest in curbing healthcare costs as well as what needs to be understood and done to safeguard the short- and long-term health of a most vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School/Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Heidelise
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Als
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Behrman
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Checchia
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Denne
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dennery
authors.forename: Caroline B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Panitch
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vila
mesh_terms: D002662:Child Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations