Good morning/afternoon-thank you for your post regarding the International Centre for Eye Health and the work the Centre is doing to prevent blindness in low and middle income countries. I wanted to share two resources the Every Preemie-SCALE project developed regarding the safe use of oxygen in small/sick newborns and the prevention and management of retinopathy of prematurity.
The briefs are part of our Do No Harm series focused on inpatient care of small/sick newborns. The first brief, Safe and Effective Oxygen Use for Inpatient Care of Newborns, was developed under the leadership of Dr. Susan Niermeyer (USAID), Dr. Ashok Derari (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and Dr. James A. Litch (Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth). The brief articulates the danger of high levels of oxygen in the blood of newborns including retinopathy of prematurity, shares the current WHO recommendations and lays out the clinical guidelines for oxygen therapy in newborns. It also highlights the systems that are needed for safe oxygen use and the current evidence-based best practices as well as actions that can be taken to improve oxygen use and health outcomes.
Another brief entitled, Prevention and Screening of Retinopathy of Prematurity, was authored by Dr. R.V. Paul Chan and Karyn E. Jonas (Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago), Dr. James A. Litch (GAPPS), Dr. J. Peter Campbell (Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University), and Dr. Vivien Yap (Weill Cornell Medical College). This brief highlights that "The incidence of ROP and visual impairment and blindness from ROP is also increasing, and all regions of the world are now affected". The brief lays out why ROP is important, major risk factors for ROP including supplemental oxygen exposure and current WHO recommendations and evidence-based best practices for primary prevention of ROP as well as screening, treatment and follow up care required to effectively prevent and manage ROP.
We welcome the use of these materials in your training programs. These briefs and other can be accessed in English and French (for download) at www.everypreemie.org/technical-materials<http://www.everypreemie.org/technical-materials>.
Warm regards, Judith Robb-McCord
CHIFA profile: Judith Robb-McCord is Senior Director, Every Preemie-SCALE (Scaling, Catalyzing, Advocating, Learning, and Evidence-Driven) at Project Concern International, PCI, in the USA. Judith has over 25 years of international public health experience, including program leadership in maternal, newborn and child health; reproductive health and family planning; malaria; and HIV/AIDS. She has worked with a variety of global and national partners to create long-range strategies and to design and implement projects for improved health outcomes primarily in Africa and Asia. jmccordATpciglobal.org
