The State of Neonatal Follow-Up Programs

Neonatal follow-up (NFU) programs have existed for several decades and have evolved as mortality rates of high-risk infants have declined due to technological advances in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Initially developed as a way to audit these interventions following NICU discharge, NFU programs now serve a variety of roles that include research, teaching, surveillance, and neurodevelopmental assessments. Several surveys suggest wide variation in services provided/available, eligibility criteria, funding sources, and clinical structure. Standards of care are lacking. No-show rates to NFU are high and are associated with several sociodemographic and child factors. The successful future of NFU will depend on the role of the child’s medical home, developing meaningful outcome measures, and the needs of the region and community for which the NFU program is situated.