The Health Assessment Of Infants

The Health Assessment Of Infants

The Health Assessment Of Infants Topic 1 DQ 1

Describe the effect of extremely low birth weight babies on the family and community. Consider short-term and long-term impacts, socioeconomic implications, the need for ongoing care, and comorbidities associated with prematurity. Explain how disparities relative to ethnic and cultural groups may contribute to low-birth-weight babies. Identify one support service within your community to assist with preterm infants and their families and explain how the service adequately addresses the needs of the community or a population in your community. Provide the link to the resource in your post.

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Infants that weigh under 2.2 lbs are considered to be of “extremely low weights”. “Preterm infants are born at less than 37 weeks gestational age and low birth weight infants are born with a birth weight below 2.5kg regardless of gestational age.”(WHO2023) Many implications can arise from a considerably low birth weight. For the infant itself, they may require long term medical care physically. This in turn may cause many impairments, psychologically, cognitively, and socially for the family. The family may experience financial disparities. These disparities in turn add great stress to the family. As the infant grows, social concerns develop that affect the community. There exist many factors that contribute to extreme low birth weight in infants. Most factors are correlated with low economic conditions. Minority groups have high rates of infants with extreme low birth weights. During these hard times many families can turn to support groups for resources and guidance. A great organization that offers services is March of dimes. https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support. Here families can find information from planning, to dealing with grief. They also have tools and many links to other support groups according to needs.
 
References
World Health Organization 2023 https://www.who.int/teams/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-ageing/newborn-health/preterm-and-low-birth-weight/

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Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies can have profound effects on the families and community. With the families, extremely low birth weight babies can affect them differently depending on the socioeconomic implications associated with the specific family, but some things are consistent no matter the socioeconomic situation (Subramanian, 2023). One effect extremely low birth weight babies have on families is that families will undergo grieving processes as they adjust to what they originally pictures as a perfect baby to be born. Families will also undergo ongoing care for ELBW babies as care providers attempt to bring the babies up to sufficient health that would be concurrent with normal weight babies. Some comorbidities associated with preterm birth are intraventricular hemmorhage, retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease which often result in mortality or long term disabilities (Mowitz, 2022). In order to get through the journey that a ELBW baby may take you on, support is needed. In the Houston area, there are many services that the Texas Womens Hospital provides for mothers to support them throughout the care process.

References :
 
Mowitz, M. E. (2022, December 23). Burden of comorbidities and healthcare resource utilization among Medicaid-enrolled extremely premature infants. Journal of health economics and outcomes research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9790150/#:~:text=Extremely%20premature%20infants%20are%20at,mortality%20or%20long%2Dterm%20disabilities.

 
Subramanian, S. (2023, July 7). Extremely low birth weight infant. Overview, Morbidity and Mortality, Thermoregulation and Hypoglycemia. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/979717-overview?form=fpf

 

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Nice post. I understand that having an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) baby can have profound effects on families and communities. It can be a challenging and emotional journey for families as they adjust to unexpected circumstances and potentially face ongoing care for their ELBW baby. One effect that families often experience is a grieving process, as they may need to redefine their expectations for their baby’s health and development (Van de Pol & Allegaert, 2020). Families need permission to grieve and seek support from healthcare professionals, support groups, or counseling services to help them navigate these emotions. Further, ELBW babies may have co-existing medical conditions such as intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and chronic lung disease. These conditions can have long-term consequences and require ongoing medical interventions and therapies. Families may need assistance in understanding and managing these conditions, and healthcare providers must offer comprehensive support and education to families. The Texas Women’s Hospital is a valuable resource for mothers and families in the Houston area. They provide various services to support families throughout the care process, such as specialized neonatal intensive care units, experienced healthcare professionals, and access to support groups or counseling services.
Reference
Van de Pol, C., & Allegaert, K. (2020). Growth patterns and body composition in former extremely low birth weight (ELBW) neonates until adulthood: a systematic review. European Journal of Pediatrics, 179, 757-771.

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Hi, I do agree with you on the socioeconomic effect that extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies can impose on certain families. To add up, emotional factors and the depression associated with the unexpected can also be an influential factor that families may go through with ELBW babies. Community wise, the use of financial resources in the support of these babies care and the general provision of education through various community organized support programs can be so demanding which affects the community financially. Nurses should be knowledgeable in regards to how to provide support and meet the needs of the parents of ELBW babies in order for them to be successful in caring for the babies during discharge. Mothers of LBW babies must be given information by nurses and all other HCPs  through proper health education on routine baby care before discharge, variation in their information sources, and the types of communication. Laid down hospital policies and discharge planning guidelines that consider mothers’ needs are necessary for successful discharge planning (Kristiawati et.al, 2023) The Health Assessment Of Infants.
 
Reference
Kristiawati., Yeni, R., Indra, B., & Hariyati, R. T. S. (June, 2023). Mothers’ needs in discharge planning for low birth weight
babies: A qualitative study. Journal of Neonatal Nursing. Volume 29, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnn.2022.11.005.
 
 

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Hi X. I agree with you that ELBW babies profoundly impact families and communities, regardless of socioeconomic factors. Families undergo a grieving process as they adjust to unexpected outcomes and provide ongoing care to nurture these babies to better health. Preterm birth comorbidities such as intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and chronic lung disease can lead to mortality or long-term disabilities. Despite the challenges, with the right support, families can help ELBW babies thrive(The National Academies Press, 2003).
References
The National Academies Press. (2003). The problem of low birth weight. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10841/chapter/8#205
 

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Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies indeed bring unique challenges to families, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. These challenges often lead families to undergo a grieving process as they adjust to unexpected outcomes, diverging from their initial visions of a perfect birth. Additionally, families face the demanding task of providing ongoing care for ELBW babies, with the goal of improving their health to levels comparable to normal-weight infants. ELBW babies are at increased risk of comorbidities like intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and chronic lung disease, which can result in mortality or long-term disabilities (Green, 2022). To navigate this challenging journey, families require substantial support. In the Houston area, Texas Women’s Hospital provides valuable services to aid and support mothers throughout the care process, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive care and community resources for families facing the complex journey of ELBW babies.
 
Reference
Green, S (2022). Heath assessment of the infant. Grand Canyon University (Ed). Health assessment: Foundations for effective practice. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs434vn/health-assessment-foundations-for-effective-practice/v1.1/

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Hi X, this is a great and I agree with your post, the effect of extremely low birth weight babies can be very significant and long lasting on the families and the community due to expensive medical care which can place a financial and emotional burden on the families  ( Geddes, 2022 ) The Health Assessment Of Infants. Babies born with extremely low birth weight can be sometimes prone to long-term problems like neurological impairment. Infants of the poor, minority groups, and the poor are at higher risk of low birth weight and premature births ( Geddes, 2022 ), continuous screening and monitoring of the milestones will positively impact the growth and development of the babies.
Reference:
Geddes, J. K. (2022, June 7). Low birth weight baby: Causes, risk factors, treatments, and more. BabyCenter.
https://www.babycenter.com/baby/newborn-baby/low-birth-weight_40009602

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Hello
You mentioned Extremely Low Birth Weight having a profound effect on babies. The Medical Risk factors having a low-birth weight baby include chronic health conditions, infections, and breathing problems such as Respirator Distress Syndrome (March of Dimes, n.d.). RDS is when babies don’t have a protein called Surfactant which keeps small air sacs in a babies lungs from collapsing (March of Dimes, n.d.). Babies with RDS will need continuous supplemental oxygen and transferred to the NICU until the problem has resolved. All this can be emotionally and financially draining on a family so the right education and support is needed.
 
Reference: 
March of Dimes. (n.d.). Low birthweight. https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/birth/low-birthweight

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Extremely low birth baby is defined as a baby that weighs less than 1000g (2.2lbs) at birth (Siva,S. 2023). Effects of extremely low birth weight baby extends beyond the infants, it can impact the family and the community ranges from
Emotional and psychological impact, parents may experience anxiety , depression, feeling of guilt and inadequacy.
Financial burden, medical care and intervention needed for the new infant may be expensive.
Disruption of family dynamic,caring foe ELBW infant may require time and attention , this will in turn affect the family routine and may affect the ability of family members to work or pursue their career.
Increased health care utilization: ELBW infant may require long term hospitalization and care , this can put additional health care demand on  communities especially the ones with limited access to health care.
Increased risk of chronic health condition, psychological issues (Apa 2017) sensory impairment, neurodevelopmental challenges, growth and nutritional issues, and some medical complications  ELBW infants has the increased risk of developing most of the above listed and the presence of any of the above conditions will affect the family and community at large,
 
Disparities in ethnic and cultural groups can contribute to an increased risk of ELBW infant.
Socioeconomic factors such as poverty, limited access to healthcare , unhealthy living conditions and inadequate prenatal care can increase the risk of ELBW infants.
Healthcare access and quality: Minority groups may be faced with poor health care access , language barriers , discrimination and cultural belief may affect some health seeking behavior.
social determinants of health including employment, housing, housing,and community resources can affect pregnancy outcomes.
 
Support service to to assist with preterm infants and their families at the neonatal intensive care unit will be Family support program. This helps families with emotional support,education and information, parent to parent support , transition support, bereavement support in cases where the preterm infant does not survive.
https://www.marchofdimes.org/our-work/nicu-family-support
 
References
 
American Psychology Association (2017). Low Birth Weight Babies at Higher Risk for Mental Health Problems later in life 0033-2909/17/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000091
 
Siva, A. (2023) Extremely Low Birth Weight Infant https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/979717-overview
 
 

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Hey
Great post! You have thoroughly highlighted the multifaceted impact of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants on families and communities, emphasizing the emotional, financial, and healthcare challenges. In addition, it is important to consider the potential role of technology in improving care for ELBW infants. Advancements in telemedicine and remote monitoring could offer crucial support, especially in communities with limited healthcare access (Atkinson et al., 2023). Telehealth initiatives can provide continuous medical supervision, advice, and interventions, potentially reducing the need for extended hospitalization and increasing access to specialized care for ELBW infants, which might alleviate the burden on families and communities. Integrating such technological solutions into family support programs, like the neonatal intensive care unit’s Family Support Program, could significantly enhance overall care and support for families of ELBW infants The Health Assessment Of Infants.
Reference
Atkinson, J., Hastie, R., Walker, S., Lindquist, A., & Tong, S. (2023). Telehealth in antenatal care: Recent insights and advances. BMC medicine, 21(1), 332. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03042-y