title: Innovation of High-risk Infants Follow-up Surveillance System in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early childhood development is one of the most social determinants of health that must be notified in order to reducing social gap and inequity. In spite of increasingly developing intensive neonatal care wards and decreasing neonatal mortality rate, there is no follow-up surveillance system to identify high-risk infants (HRI) and their health problems for timely intervention after discharge. This study was carried out to design and pilot high-risk infant follow-ups (HRIFs) surveillance system, in Alzahra Hospital, a tertiary level center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS), in 2012-2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this qualitative research after studying international documents, consensus about criteria of HRIs accomplished by focus group discussion. Then, Delphi agreement technique was used to finalizing assessment timetable. In the second phase, we piloted the designed surveillance system in Alzahra Hospital, a tertiary level center of TUOMS. Pilot study was implemented by follow-up team organized in designed model at the first phase of the study. Then, the findings of the pilot study were being assessed by an expert panel. If the members agreed on made decisions, they were being placed on the agenda of the national committee of development care of newborns for final approval.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-risk infants follow-up surveillance system was designed in following steps: Defining of evidence-based criteria of HRIs, organizing the follow-up team, regulating the organs and neurodevelopment assessment timetable, publishing a health certificate notebook for HRIs, and designing Access database software for data collection, report and evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We designed and piloted HRIFs surveillance system, so this system was institutionalized in Alzahra Hospital, finally. It can be prepared to apply in the whole country, after detecting the quantitative outcomes and developing the program in East Azarbijan.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jodeiry
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heidarzadeh
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Kayvan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mirnia
authors.affiliation: Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Forouzan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akrami
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Seifoallah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heidarabadi
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebadi
keywords: Follow-up; Iran; high-risk infants; surveillance system