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Neonatal-perinatal care in Greece
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Patras Medical School, Greece.
Insights
Greece has significantly improved neonatal-perinatal care, reducing infant, neonatal, and perinatal mortality rates. Future health policies aim to regionalize care and expand neonatal intensive care units, despite nursing shortages.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Neonatal Medicine
- Healthcare Systems Analysis
Background:
- Greece has undergone significant healthcare system reforms in the past decade.
- Substantial improvements in neonatal-perinatal care have been observed.
- Key mortality indicators show a positive trend over the last 10 years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the advancements in Greece's neonatal-perinatal care.
- To identify challenges and propose future directions for healthcare policy.
- To evaluate the current state of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of national health statistics on infant, neonatal, and perinatal mortality.
- Review of the current infrastructure and staffing of neonatal intensive care units.
- Assessment of healthcare policy goals for regionalization and intermediate care.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in infant mortality (from 18/1000 to 9/1000), neonatal mortality (from 15/1000 to 6.1%), and perinatal mortality (from 23.8% to 11.06%).
- Adequate equipment and physician staffing in 15 NICUs with 180 beds for respiratory support.
- A critical shortage of nursing personnel, leading to unacceptable nurse-to-infant ratios in most units.
Conclusions:
- Greece has achieved notable success in reducing neonatal-perinatal mortality through healthcare improvements.
- The existing infrastructure for neonatal intensive care is largely adequate but faces a severe nursing staff deficit.
- Future health policies should focus on regionalizing perinatal care, expanding NICU capacity and staffing, and developing intermediate care units to optimize resource allocation.
Abstract:
Greece, a country of 10.25 million people and about 100,000 births per year, has changed its health care system significantly in the last 10 years and has made substantial improvements in neonatal-perinatal care. Infant mortality decreased from 18/1000 in 1983 to 9/1000 in 1991; neonatal mortality decreased from 15/1000 in 1983 to 6.1% in 1991; perinatal mortality decreased from 23.8% in 1983 to 11.06/1000 in 1991. There are currently 15 neonatal intensive care units in the Greece, with approximately 180 intensive care beds, which are adequately equipped for respiratory support and relatively well staffed with doctors. However, there is a great shortage of nursing personnel, and most neonatal units have an unacceptable ratio of nurses to infants. The goal of health policies for the upcoming years is to promote the regionalization of perinatal care, to increase the number of and personnel for neonatal intensive care units, and to develop several intermediate care units, which will minimize unnecessary admissions to the tertiary neonatal centers.