Mortality, morbidity and clinical care in a referral neonatal intensive care unit in Haiti.

Background: Neonatal mortality rates in Haiti are among the highest in the Western hemisphere. Few mothers deliver with a skilled birth attendant present, and there is a significant lack of pediatricians. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St.

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Increase Hand Hygiene Awareness and Compliance in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Haiti.

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) are major causes of morbidity, mortality, increased lengths of stay and are an economic burden on healthcare systems in resources-limited settings. This is especially true for neonates, who are more susceptible with underdeveloped immune systems. Hand hygiene (HH) is a key weapon against HCAI, yet globally, HH compliance remains substandard.

Unraveling Diagnostic Uncertainty Surrounding Lyme Disease in Children with Neuropsychiatric Illness.

Lyme disease is endemic in parts of the United States, including New England, the Atlantic seaboard, and Great Lakes region. The presentation has various manifestations, many of which can mimic psychiatric diseases in children. Distinguishing manifestations of Lyme disease from those of psychiatric illnesses is complicated by inexact diagnostic tests and misuse of these tests when they are not clinically indicated.

A Sustained Partnership between a Haitian Children's Hospital and North American Academic Medical Centers.

Global health initiatives from academic medical centers have rapidly proliferated over the last decade. This paper endeavors to describe our 5-year experience as an academic medical collaborative supporting healthcare delivery, medical training, and research at Hôpital Saint Damien-Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs, the only freestanding children's hospital in Haiti. Descriptions of the history and current activities of our academic medical collaborative, its partnership and communication structure, its evolution to fill the expressed needs of our host site, its funding mechanisms, and its challenges and opportunities for the future are included.

Evaluating the use of blood cultures in the management of children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Blood cultures are often recommended for the evaluation of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, institutions vary in their use of blood cultures, and blood cultures have unclear utility in CAP management in hospitalized children.

Objective: To identify clinical factors associated with obtaining blood cultures in children hospitalized with CAP, and to estimate the association between blood culture obtainment and hospital length of stay (LOS).

Needle length for immunization of early adolescents as determined by ultrasound.

Objective: To determine the appropriate needle length for intramuscular injection of vaccines to early adolescents by measuring muscle depth at the deltoid injection site.

Methods: Students from Nassau County, New York, and patients attending an adolescent clinic were invited to participate. Height, weight, and arm circumference were measured.