Pharmacotherapy in the perinatal period--an exploratory study in midwifery

Neonatal Prophylaxis: Prevention of Vitamin K Deficiency Haemorrhage and Neonatal Ophthalmia

Introduction

The aim of the study was to explore two aspects of neonatal prophylaxis: the application of the vitamin K injection to the newborns and the prophylaxis against chlamydial and gonococcal eye infections, comparing Slovenian and Croatian practices.

Methods

A causal non-experimental method of quantitative empirical approach was used. The data was collected by means of predesigned questionnaires. The questionnaires were sent to 14 Slovenian and 32 Croatian birth hospitals. The data was analysed with descriptive statistics and the Kullback test.

Results

Vitamin K is applied to all newborns in 9 (out of 14) Slovene and 22 (out of 32) Croatian birth hospitals that returned the questionnaire. The prophylaxis against chlamydial gonococcal eye infections is applied to all newborns in 9 Slovene and 16 Croatian birth hospitals that offered answers to the questionnaire. The majority of Slovene and Croatian birth hospitals perform these procedures in the first hour after birth. The majority of Slovene birth hospitals still apply vitamin K in the gluteal muscle, whereas the majority of Croatian birth hospitals usually use the thigh as an injection site. In Slovenia, 1 % Targesin is used for the prophylaxis against chlamydial and gonococcal eye infections, whereas in Croatia the prevailing medicine is Erythromycin.

Conclusions

The possibility of oral vitamin K application should be offered to parents, and pain management in practice should be discussed. The form of written informed consent could be offered to parents. Health professionals should provide intimacy and exclude routine procedures in the first couple of hours after birth. However, more research is needed as delayed administration might be related to lower efficacy and, as a consequence of that, the safety of newborns is questionable.