Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Regional follow up of late preterm neonatal intensive care graduates
Jackie Doran1, Jenny E McGowan, Fiona Alderdice
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University, Belfast. jackie.doran@qub.ac.uk
Insights
Conducting follow-up research on neonatal intensive care (NIC) graduates presents methodological challenges. This paper guides researchers through these issues for ethical and sound studies.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Pediatric follow-up studies
- Methodological research
Background:
- Long-term outcomes of infants admitted to neonatal intensive care (NIC) are increasingly recognized as important.
- Follow-up cohort and longitudinal studies are growing globally.
- Research methodology for NIC graduates requires clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To guide researchers on methodological challenges in retrospective follow-up studies of NIC graduates.
- To discuss challenges in studying three-year-old late preterm infants (LPIs) who received NIC.
- To provide practical solutions for ethical and methodologically sound follow-up research.
Main Methods:
- Reflective-practice methodology paper.
- Utilized Neonatal Intensive Care Outcomes and Research Evaluation (NICORE) database.
- Included maternity unit delivery records.
Main Results:
- Retrospective follow-up research involves challenges from planning to data collection.
- Key challenges include infant identification, ethical considerations, child safety, and recruitment.
- Multidisciplinary team input is crucial for study success.
Conclusions:
- Establishing protocols and guidelines before study commencement is essential.
- Realistic timeframes and ongoing monitoring of recruitment are vital.
- This paper raises awareness of potential issues and offers solutions for NIC graduate follow-up research.
Aim:
To guide researchers who are contemplating embarking on research by discussing the methodological challenges encountered in a retrospective follow-up study of three-year-old, late preterm infants (LPIs) who received neonatal intensive care (NIC) in Northern Ireland in 2006.
Background:
The importance of effective research examining the longer term outcomes of infants admitted to NIC has received increasing recognition. Follow-up cohort and longitudinal studies have grown in number globally, yet the research methodology relating to follow up of NIC graduates is unclear.
Data Sources:
Neonatal Intensive Care Outcomes and Research Evaluation (NICORE) database; maternity unit delivery records.
Review Methods:
This is a reflective-practice methodology paper.
Discussion:
This paper highlights the methodological challenges of conducting retrospective follow-up research, from the initial planning stages through to the collection of data from the children, including identification of infants from a retrospective database, ethical issues, child-safety concerns and recruitment challenges.
Conclusion:
The important lessons learned from this study were that: Input from a multidisciplinary team is central to the success of the study. Protocols and guidelines should be in place before the study to ensure that problems are dealt with quickly. A realistic timeframe for each phase and ongoing monitoring of recruitment rates are essential.
Implications For Research/Practice:
This paper creates an awareness of potential issues that may arise in follow-up research with NIC graduates. The paper also offers practical and effective examples of dealing with these issues, helping to ensure the smooth running of an ethical, professionally conducted, methodologically sound and clinically relevant follow-up study.
