Impact of a ROP mentoring program in rural regions of Colombia.

Purpose: To assess the impact of a retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) mentoring program in four rural regions with 31 neonatal units in Colombia between 2011 and 2019.

Methods: Indicators recommended by the national program were used for assessment: screening coverage of eligible preterm newborns, proportion screened with any stage of ROP, and proportion of screened infants treated. Data were also collected on the number of units with ROP services and birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA) of babies treated.

Strategies discussed at the XIIth international conference on Kangaroo mother care for implementation on a countrywide scale.

Aim: Building strategies for the country-level dissemination of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) to reduce the mortality rate in preterm and low birth weight babies and improve quality of life. KMC is an evidence-based healthcare method for these infants. However, KMC implementation at the global level remains low.