Delayed Cord Clamping And Its Relation To Infant Iron Deficiency Anemia

Download or read book Delayed Cord Clamping and Its Relation to Infant Iron Deficiency Anemia written by Sarah Heuchan and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately half of all children under the age of five suffer from iron deficiency anemia. This is a worldwide health issue that coincides with severe adverse effects on neural development and behavioral outcomes. Numerous international studies have proven that the timing of umbilical cord clamping at birth, may impact the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia in infants for up to six months of life (Gyorkos and others, 2012). Based on current evidence, it was decided that creating a hospital policy to encourage providers to delay umbilical cord clamping would be a great step towards preventing iron deficiency anemia in infants. Lewin's change theory was chosen guide the change from early umbilical cord clamping to delayed cord clamping. Healthcare providers and the community will be presented with the evidence and thoroughly educated on the benefits of delayed cord clamping. Team leaders will be chosen to monitor and evaluate the implementation process. Pamphlets containing information regarding the benefits of delayed cord clamping, as well as the process will be provided to all staff, and patients, in efforts to educate and create enthusiasm for the policy change. Obstetrical healthcare providers will be asked to fill out an electronic questionnaire to evaluate the process and increase policy compliance. A staff meeting will then be held and the staff will be asked to contribute ideas to facilitate the development of strategies to modify the process as needed. To aid in the evaluation process, a section will be added in delivery summery of the electronic health records that asks if cord clamping was delayed and if so for how many minutes. With maternal consent, pediatricians will test all infants for iron deficiency anemia at three and six months of age. The data will then be organized and separated into two groups. Group A will be infants that were subjected to delayed cord clamping and group B will be infants that were subjected to early cord clamping. The two groups will then be compared to determine the difference between them related to the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia at three and six months of age. Current international studies have proven that delaying umbilical cord clamping can significantly decrease the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia in infants for up to six months of age, while additionally providing multiple other health benefits with very low risks of adverse affects. Properly disseminating these research results will inspire others to also make the shift towards delayed cord clamping, which will eventually decrease the overall prevalence of infant iron deficiency anemia.