Hospital to Home - Improving Newborn Follow Up for High-Risk Infants in Low Resource Settings

Newborns who are considered high-risk, particularly those born preterm, low birth weight (LBW), or who develop illnesses early in life, often face significant nutrition and/or developmental challenges. While more high-risk infants are now surviving thanks in part to the increasing development of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), very few follow-up programmes exist to ensure these infants receive the on-going care needed upon discharge from hospital. Adara’s Hospital to Home project aims to develop and trial a holistic, low-cost, family-centered discharge package to be implemented in low resource settings (LRS) globally to support high-risk infants during the first 1,000 days. The project will both strengthen discharge processes and practices inside facilities, and bridge the community/facility divide with an outreach network of highly trained Village Health Teams (VHTs). By identifying issues and intervening early these infants have more opportunity to reach their full potential.