Survey exploring the impact of COVID-19 on small and sick newborn care (WHO-led with inputs from a wide network including KMC researchers, the NEST360 consortium, and others)
Your help is requested to please participate in and share this survey widely.
WHO FOR? The content is most relevant for policymakers and healthcare providers who are involved in care for small and sick newborns in hospitals and communities
WHY? To understand how newborn care coverage and quality of care, particularly Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), may have changed during the pandemic, and identify possible solutions. The WHO continues to promote skin-to skin contact and breastfeeding, including among neonates born to infected mothers, and findings of a recently published cohort study in NYC suggest that perinatal SARS-CoV-2 transmission is unlikely and allowing newborns to room-in and breastfeed is safe, with appropriate precautions (thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30235-2<https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30235-2/fulltext>, thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30241-8<https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30241-8/fulltext>). A multi-country survey evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on maternity care (gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002967.info<https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002967.info>), including 714 respondents from 81 countries, was published in late June and importantly noted a gap regarding information on neonatal care. Since that time, the pandemic has exploded in many LMICs and is further disrupting services and creating dilemmas for healthcare providers and families. KMC magnifies these challenges since preterm newborns are especially vulnerable and KMC involves prolonged skin-to-skin contact between babies and their caregivers. However, there are no specific guidelines as yet on what to do for small and sick newborn care including KMC.
What is happening around the world? Are some places and people managing to protect these services and, if so, how? We cannot afford to wait years to find out…
WHAT FOR? Whilst primary data are crucial, a survey like this can give a rapid snapshot of change and help identify information that could guide policies and practice, protecting the most vulnerable and promoting South-South learning on what works. Results will be shared widely and your ideas, insights, and partnership are welcomed. We apologise that the survey is not available in many languages and welcome offers of help on this as well.
The survey is available at the following link: covid19kmcsurvey.wixsite.com/survey<https://covid19kmcsurvey.wixsite.com/survey>
Many thanks and best wishes,
Melissa
Melissa Medvedev (Morgan), MD MSc
Clinical Research Fellow, MARCH Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine &
Assistant Professor, Division of Neonatology, University of California San Francisco
CHIFA profile: Melissa Medvedev is Assistant Professor of Neonatology at the University of California San Francisco; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the USA. Professional interests: Kangaroo mother care, focused on initiation in health facilities before clinical stabilisation, Oxygen therapy in newborns, including guidelines for preterm neonates, Neonatal resuscitation, neonatal sepsis, simulation-based training of health workers. melissa.medvedev@lshtm.ac.uk
