Comprehensive follow up care reduced life threatening illnesses without increasing costs in high risk, inner city infants
QUESTIONS: Does access to comprehensive follow up care reduce life threatening illnesses among high risk, inner city infants? Is it cost effective?
Design
Randomised (allocation concealed), blinded (outcome assessors) controlled trial with follow up to age 1 year.
Setting
A follow up clinic in a private children's hospital in Dallas county, Texas, USA.
Patients
887 infants who either weighed <1000 g at birth or weighed between 1001 and 1500 g and received mechanical ventilation in the first 48 hours after birth. 783 infants (88%) were included in the primary analysis (mean maternal age 23 y; 54% black, 31% Hispanic). At 1 year follow up, 37 infants had unknown outcomes.
Intervention
446 infants were allocated to comprehensive follow up care and 441 were allocated to routine care. Both groups were cared for by the same highly experienced clinic staff (2 paediatric nurse practitioners [NPs] and a physician's assistant [PA], each supervised by both …
