Newborn Morbidities and Health Charges
Newborn Morbidities and Health Charges
This study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial that compared maternal health, infant health, and health care charges in two groups of mothers and newborns. The study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at Florida International University and University of Miami (UM/JMH). A control group received routine post-hospital discharge care while an intervention group received routine post-discharge care plus follow-up telephone calls by advanced practice nurses (APNs) on post-discharge days 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 60. APN followup telephone calls were not made to the control group. Data for the present study includes all infant morbidity and health care charges for the total sample of infants over eight weeks post-hospital discharge for birth.
A total sample of 146 low-income first time mothers 18 years or older, in good health, who delivered a singleton healthy, full-term infant were recruited from the mother baby unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Seven mothers were unable to be contacted post-discharge due to disconnected telephones. The final sample consisted of 139 first-time mothers and their healthy full-term newborns. Mothers (see Table 1 ) ranged in age from 18 to 36 years, with a mean age of 24.1 years (SD = 4.1). Half of the mothers were married (n = 71, 51.8%), in their current relationship a mean of 2.9 years (SD = 3.0), with a range of less than one year to 14 years. Most mothers spoke English (67.6%), were of Hispanic nationality (84, 60.4%), not U.S.-born (49.6%), completed high school (31%), and had an annual income of less than $20,000/year (72%). Most mothers were not employed (55.2%), and most were Medicaid recipients or awaiting coverage by Medicaid (73.1%). More infants were female 75 (55.1%) than male. Infant birth weight ranged from 5.12 to 9.4 pounds with a mean of 7.2 pounds (SD = 0.94). The mean gestational age was 37.8 weeks (SD = 2.9) with a range of 36 weeks to 40.2 weeks.
Data on infant morbidity were collected at one and two months post-hospital discharge from the infant's mother and the hospital records. Data included infant age at the onset of morbidity, medical diagnosis, treatment, and type of health care facility for infant care (e.g., emergency room, urgent care, or hospitalization). Data on infant access to health care for routine health visits were collected on post-birth hospital discharge day 3 and post-birth hospital discharge day 30 and day 60. Data on health care charges included total charges billed for the infant's emergency room visits, acute care visits, or rehospitalizations obtained from the infants medical records from the medical care facility or the mothers at eight weeks post-hospital discharge.
Methods
This study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial that compared maternal health, infant health, and health care charges in two groups of mothers and newborns. The study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at Florida International University and University of Miami (UM/JMH). A control group received routine post-hospital discharge care while an intervention group received routine post-discharge care plus follow-up telephone calls by advanced practice nurses (APNs) on post-discharge days 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 60. APN followup telephone calls were not made to the control group. Data for the present study includes all infant morbidity and health care charges for the total sample of infants over eight weeks post-hospital discharge for birth.
Sample
A total sample of 146 low-income first time mothers 18 years or older, in good health, who delivered a singleton healthy, full-term infant were recruited from the mother baby unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Seven mothers were unable to be contacted post-discharge due to disconnected telephones. The final sample consisted of 139 first-time mothers and their healthy full-term newborns. Mothers (see Table 1 ) ranged in age from 18 to 36 years, with a mean age of 24.1 years (SD = 4.1). Half of the mothers were married (n = 71, 51.8%), in their current relationship a mean of 2.9 years (SD = 3.0), with a range of less than one year to 14 years. Most mothers spoke English (67.6%), were of Hispanic nationality (84, 60.4%), not U.S.-born (49.6%), completed high school (31%), and had an annual income of less than $20,000/year (72%). Most mothers were not employed (55.2%), and most were Medicaid recipients or awaiting coverage by Medicaid (73.1%). More infants were female 75 (55.1%) than male. Infant birth weight ranged from 5.12 to 9.4 pounds with a mean of 7.2 pounds (SD = 0.94). The mean gestational age was 37.8 weeks (SD = 2.9) with a range of 36 weeks to 40.2 weeks.
Data Collection Procedure
Data on infant morbidity were collected at one and two months post-hospital discharge from the infant's mother and the hospital records. Data included infant age at the onset of morbidity, medical diagnosis, treatment, and type of health care facility for infant care (e.g., emergency room, urgent care, or hospitalization). Data on infant access to health care for routine health visits were collected on post-birth hospital discharge day 3 and post-birth hospital discharge day 30 and day 60. Data on health care charges included total charges billed for the infant's emergency room visits, acute care visits, or rehospitalizations obtained from the infants medical records from the medical care facility or the mothers at eight weeks post-hospital discharge.
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