Developmental outcome of neonatal intensive care: what questions are we asking?

Recent neonatal intensive care outcome studies are asking more focused rese arch questions and incorporating, at feast implicitly, pathogenetic models. A few have grappled with the complex issues of health-related quality of l ife and functional outcomes and the many factors that affect these outcomes . The need to evaluate high-risk obstetrics is increasingly recognized, Stu dies of risk factors for neurodevelopmental outcomes provide valuable insig hts into mechanisms of and recovery from central nervous system injury. Ong oing study of the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions must continue amid concern about availability of family and developmental support for in creasing numbers of survivors Or high-risk obstetric and neonatal intensive care. Curr Opin Pediatr 2000, 12:116-122 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wi lkins, Inc.