The Pediatric Development Clinic Study: the Development, Medical and Nutritional Outcomes of Children Discharged From the Neonatal Unit in Rural Rwanda

Neonatal health and improving neonatal mortality has become one of the top priorities globally. In Rwanda, hospital care has advanced significantly with the development of national neonatal care guidelines and widespread provider training. As advances in technology and resuscitation become more commonly available, many preterm, low birth weight and other high-risk infants are surviving the early neonatal period. However, upon discharge from the neonatal units, this at-risk population has little support for their health, nutrition and development in the community. To address this emerging need, Partners In Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, has created a pediatric developmental clinic (PDC) to follow the high-risk infants after discharge from hospitals and health centers. Prior to implementation, a community-based descriptive study assessing the baseline medical, nutritional and developmental needs of low-birth weight and preterm infants who are the target population of the pediatric development clinic was conducted (Baseline Phase One). Subsequently, after 1-2 years of implementation an evaluation of clinical, nutritional and developmental outcomes of children followed in PDC will be conducted in comparison with the baseline study outcomes (Post-PDC Phase Two). Ongoing research on PDC implementation will focus on research on patient and provider experiences, overall clinic processes, cost-effectiveness, expansion of the PDC model, decentralization to health centers, and longer term outcomes of children enrolled in the PDC to further help refine the PDC model (Post-PDC Phase Three)