title: The Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit: a new paradigm for maternal-fetal and neonatal care.
abstract: Birth defects remain the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. For many anomalies, etiology remains unknown, management and outcome vary widely, and treatment is costly. Great strides have been made in prenatal diagnosis, yet standardized prenatal care and delivery protocols are needed for women carrying fetuses with specific birth defects such as diaphragmatic hernia, lung lesions, abdominal wall defects, congenital heart disease and so forth. In an effort to standardize and improve the overall care for mother and baby with a known birth defect, the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit was opened at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in June 2008. This paper describes an innovative healthcare delivery model focusing on the rationale for developing a specialized delivery unit, the facility design and development process, care model, team and services, and the types of fetal diagnoses and maternal admission criteria for the SDU.
authors: The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. howelll@email.chop.edu
authors: Lori J
authors: LJ
authors: Howell
mesh_terms: D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003406:Credentialing; D003696:Delivery Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D046128:Fetal Therapies; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015143:Philadelphia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D016730:Program Development