title: Call for neonatal nursing specialization in developing countries.
abstract: In an attempt to reach Millennium Development Goals, health facility births, which are births occurring in health centers, facilities, or institutions under the care of a skilled birth attendant, are increasing in developing countries. We examined the state of neonatal nursing care in the context of issues related to the capacity of these health facilities to provide quality care and the high facility mortality rates in those neonates admitted to hospital. Neonatal nursing as a specialty within a community-hospital-community network system is proposed as an effective scaling-up strategy to improve neonatal survival. Establishment of international competency standards for neonatal nursing together with regulatory processes with mechanisms to facilitate specialty education forms the basis for the specialty of neonatal nursing. We have identified a strategy to mobilize financial resources for the development of the specialty of neonatal nursing. Evaluation of trends in mortality and identification of process indicators will facilitate examination of the effectiveness of the introduction of the specialty of neonatal nursing as a scaling-up strategy.
authors.affiliation: Shahirose S Premji is an Associate Professor, University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing, an Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences, and Member, The Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She can be reached via e-mail at premjis@ucalgary.ca Kaye Spence is an Associate Professor and Clinical Nurse Consultant-Neonatology, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Carole Kenner, Dean/Professor, School of Nursing, Northeastern University, Associate Dean Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Shahirose S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Premji
authors.forename: Kaye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kenner
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D011203:Poverty; D016730:Program Development