Abstract 35

The Northern Ireland Neonatal Audit Group (NINAG) was established to develop a database of provision of neonatal intensive care in Northern Ireland. Analysis has been conducted on data from the 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1996. Data collection forms were returned for a total of 4,260 admissions from 13 units with special care cots during this time.

Analysis of basic standard recommendations of care, such as core temperature on transfer, has identified considerable variations in practice. The standard recommended by the British Association for Perinatal Medicine(BAPM) is that admission temperature of all infants should be greater than 36°C. This standard was not achieved in 26% of inborn infants admitted to neonatal and 16% of those transferred after birth. The standard varied between units: the percentage of inborn infants with temperatures less than 36°C ranged from 10% to 38%, and for those transferred after birth the range between units was 8% to 35%. This suggests further attempts need to be made to stabilise the temperature both of infants transferred between hospitals and of inborn babies on the labour ward prior to transfer to the neonatal unit.

This type of audit emphasises good regional care and provides a valuable mechanism for each local unit to review its performance in comparison to other similar units.