Paeds Cases · fetal-neonatal-and-perinatal
Preterm infant — OSCE
OSCE station: counselling parents of a very preterm infant about the immediate NICU course and longitudinal follow-up plan.
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Study tools
Target exams
MRCPCH ClinicalRACP DCE
Prompt
Parents of a 29-week preterm infant attend the bedside on day 3 of life. The infant is on CPAP with caffeine started. Parents are anxious and asking what happens next and what the long-term outlook is.
Objectives
- Explain the immediate NICU course in plain language — respiratory support, caffeine, feeding and monitoring. [6] [8]
- Outline the complications being screened for and the surveillance plan. [11] [12]
- Give honest, hopeful and probabilistic prognostic counselling without false certainty. [20]
- Engage parents in family-integrated care and describe the discharge and follow-up pathway. [18]
References6ShowHide
- [6]Sweet DG European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Respiratory Distress Syndrome: 2022 Update. Neonatology, 2023.PMID 36863329
- [8]Schmidt B Caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity. N Engl J Med, 2006.PMID 16707748
- [11]Stoll BJ Trends in Care Practices, Morbidity, and Mortality of Extremely Preterm Neonates, 1993-2012. JAMA, 2015.PMID 26348753
- [12]Fierson WM Screening Examination of Premature Infants for Retinopathy of Prematurity. Pediatrics, 2018.PMID 30478242
- [18]Patel N Family Integrated Care: changing the culture in the neonatal unit. Arch Dis Child, 2018.PMID 29122741
- [20]Moore T Neurological and developmental outcome in extremely preterm children born in England in 1995 and 2006: the EPICure studies. BMJ, 2012.PMID 23212880