Study reveals survival of premature babies improves by 25% after quality-improvement program

Jan 27, 2020

New Delhi, Jan 28 (ANI): According to a recent study in Canada, the rate of survival of preterm babies in Canada has increased by 25% after the introduction of national program - Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country. The new research was published in the journal CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The EPIQ program was introduced in 2003 by the Canadian Neonatal Network in 25 neonatal units to improve outcomes for premature babies. The study, originating from Sinai Health in Toronto, analyzed the effect of changes in care practices on outcomes for 50,831 infants born prematurely between 2004 and 2017. Researchers found that survival without major adverse health effects increased from 56.6 percent to 70.9 percent (25 percent) for very preterm babies and from 70.8 percent to 74.5 percent (5 percent) for babies born between 23 and 25 weeks' gestation, over the course of the 14-year program. Preterm babies often have chronic health issues due to early premature birth, and this quality improvement program resulted in a significant reduction in several adverse outcomes for such babies.