Where Are Neonatal Nurses in Global Strategies?

Posted on

By: Carole Kenner, CEO, Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN); Marina Boykova, Research Coordinator, Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN)

Having worked as neonatal nurses and educators for more than three decades collectively, we know that newborns who are born prematurely or sick are linked to either maternal perinatal health or the intrapartum experience. According to WHO, 45% of all under five deaths occur during the neonatal period (the first 28 days of life). New strategies seek to address the intrinsic link between maternal and newborn health outcomes. But nurses, a large segment of the health workforce, have for the most part been silent, or at least not active participants, in the construction of these plans. In the last few years, neonatal nurses have been asked to contribute only after much of the work has been done. Why is this so?… read more