CIHI survey: Hospital costs for preterm and small-for-gestational age babies in Canada.

In 2006-2007, more than 54,000 (or one in seven) babies across Canada were born preterm or small for their gestational age (SGA). These babies are often at higher risk for morbidity and mortality than are full-term babies with normal birth weight, and account for a disproportionately high percentage of healthcare costs among newborns. This article highlights key findings from a recent report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Too Early, Too Small: A Profile of Small Babies across Canada, and provides information on the hospital costs among low birth weight, preterm and SGA babies.

Economic impact of cardiovascular disease in Canada.

Objective: To estimate the total cost of cardiovascular disease in Canada.

Design: Prevalence-based study estimating disease-related costs generated by individuals with cardiovascular disease in 1994, from a societal viewpoint. The human capital approach was used to estimate the value of lost productivity due to illness.

Chronic disease and its impact. The adolescent's perspective.

Although evidence suggests that adolescents with chronic illness are at a greater risk for psychosocial disability, little is known about the adolescent's perception of the impact of the disease on his or her day-to-day life. Standardized measures of coping strategies, mastery, self-efficacy, social support, depression, and a semistructured interview on everyday difficulties were administered to matched groups (sex and age) of 31 adolescents with cystic fibrosis, 31 adolescents with diabetes, and 31 healthy controls. No differences were found between control and adolescents with a chronic disease responses on the standardized measures.

[Transcutaneous bilirubin determination in the newborn infant. Recommendations of the Swiss Neonatology Group].

The clinical usefulness of transcutaneous bilirubinometry with the Minolta-Air Shield bilirubinometer was evaluated at four obstetrical neonatology units (Basle, Berne, Lucerne and Zurich). Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB), expressed as bilirubin index, was compared with simultaneous serum bilirubin estimations in healthy Caucasians babies born at term with a birth weight of more than 2500 g. TcB measured over the forehead: 926 determinations in 629 newborns.