Summary
Highlights
This segment introduces the Philippine Essential Newborn Care and Resuscitation Program (NRP Plus) and outlines the lecture's content, focusing on child and neonatal morbidity/mortality statistics, premature and low birth weight births, Philippine-specific situations, and Department of Health policies.
In 2020, 5 million children died before age five, with newborns (0-28 days) comprising 47% of these deaths. Preventable causes like pre-term birth complications and intrapartum-related events are leading causes of neonatal mortality. Lack of quality care and skilled practitioners contribute significantly to these deaths.
Around 15 million babies are born pre-term annually, with prematurity being a leading cause of death for children under five. The Philippines is a priority country for newborn deaths in the Western Pacific, with a 13% prematurity rate and 13 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020.
The DOH addresses these issues through a life cycle approach, with programs like the Maternal Newborn Child Health and Nutrition Strategy, the Essential Newborn Care (ENC) protocol, and the Care for the Small Baby program. Breastfeeding is strongly promoted through various laws and initiatives, and the First 1000 Days Act aims to improve child nutrition.
PhilHealth incentivizes safe and quality care for mothers and newborns through packages like the MCP, NSD, Newborn Care Package, and the Z benefit package for premature and small newborns. WHO's categorized interventions include the 'First Embrace' (Unang Yakap) for stable newborns, Kangaroo Mother Care, and resuscitation for sick infants.
The Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine (PSNBM) has been conducting neonatal resuscitation training since the early 1990s. The NRP Plus course was conceived in 2017 as a comprehensive introductory program for pediatric residents, integrating various newborn care modules and transitioning to a hybrid online format in 2020.
NRP Plus stands for Newborn Resuscitation in the Philippine setting, including support for low birth weight (KMC), lactation, First Embrace, and stabilization prior to transport (STAT). It's a two-day comprehensive workshop for healthcare professionals, aiming to provide understanding and skills in immediate care for all newborns.
The NRP Plus algorithm simplifies decision-making for healthcare workers immediately after birth, assessing for distress, prematurity, and guiding interventions like EINC, KMC, breastfeeding support, and resuscitation with subsequent stabilization for transport. The hybrid workshop combines asynchronous online lectures with a one-day interactive, hands-on session using the Scorpio method for competency-based learning.