Stefan Johansson
24th June 2007, 19:01
Leading article - July 2007
The Leading article for July 2007 is an article about prognostic tests in infants at risk of sequele. The article is highly recommended! It is written by professor Nick Evans at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
The article is published in collaboration with the journal Acta Paediatrica (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0803-5253).
An excerpt is published below and you can read the complete article here (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00126.x).
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Prognostic tests in babies: do they always help?
”Survival with disability remains an unresolved challenge in neonatology. This has lead to a wealth of research in the closely related areas of prediction and prevention of this disability. Prevention of brain injury remains the ‘Holy Grail’ of much neonatal research and I would not question the importance of this. I do have concerns about the clinical application of prognostic tests and, in this article, would like to question whether, in some situations, we miss the link between a prognostic test and a clear therapeutic goal. Further, I question to what extent our tests add rather than remove layers of uncertainty for the parents and so potentially increase their burden of anxiety.”
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You may comment the article directly below or discuss care of high risk infants, neurological sequele, and related topics in any other appropriate forum
The Leading article for July 2007 is an article about prognostic tests in infants at risk of sequele. The article is highly recommended! It is written by professor Nick Evans at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
The article is published in collaboration with the journal Acta Paediatrica (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0803-5253).
An excerpt is published below and you can read the complete article here (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00126.x).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Prognostic tests in babies: do they always help?
”Survival with disability remains an unresolved challenge in neonatology. This has lead to a wealth of research in the closely related areas of prediction and prevention of this disability. Prevention of brain injury remains the ‘Holy Grail’ of much neonatal research and I would not question the importance of this. I do have concerns about the clinical application of prognostic tests and, in this article, would like to question whether, in some situations, we miss the link between a prognostic test and a clear therapeutic goal. Further, I question to what extent our tests add rather than remove layers of uncertainty for the parents and so potentially increase their burden of anxiety.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You may comment the article directly below or discuss care of high risk infants, neurological sequele, and related topics in any other appropriate forum