Table 1.
Proportions of practices in each investigated domain for the study population and by cluster of units
| Cluster * 1 | Cluster * 2 | Cluster * 3 | Adjusted p value | ||||
| n=1118 infants | n=398 infants | n=619 infants | |||||
| Respiratory | |||||||
| Surfactant administration | 612/1108 | 55.2 | 213/395 | 53.9 | 423/615 | 68.8 | <0.001† |
| Mechanical ventilation at 24 hours of life | 177/1096 | 16.2 | 86/389 | 22.1 | 219/601 | 36.4 | <0.001† |
| Cardiovascular | |||||||
| Systematic screening of PDA with echocardiography before day 3 | 240/1088 | 22.1 | 182/388 | 46.9 | 246/598 | 41.1 | <0.001‡ |
| Treatment with vasoactive amines | 44/1103 | 4.0 | 22/391 | 5.6 | 78/611 | 12.8 | <0.001§ |
| PDA treatment with ibuprofen | 186/1087 | 17.1 | 70/390 | 17.9 | 123/610 | 20.2 | 0.15‡ |
| Nutrition | |||||||
| Early enteral feeding (before day 2) | 877/1069 | 82.0 | 263/372 | 70.7 | 429/598 | 71.7 | <0.001¶ |
| Pain | |||||||
| Treatment with O-SH-GA | 342/1113 | 30.7 | 109/396 | 27.5 | 307/614 | 50.0 | <0.001‡ |
| Procedural pain assessment (at least one assessment during the first week of life) | 389/1118 | 34.8 | 170/398 | 42.7 | 181/619 | 29.2 | <0.001‡ |
| Prolonged pain assessment (at least one assessment during the first week of life) | 785/1118 | 70.2 | 366/398 | 92.0 | 327/619 | 52.8 | <0.001‡ |
| Neurodevelopmental care | |||||||
| Permanent incubator cover during the first week of life | 889/1011 | 87.9 | 122/355 | 34.4 | 426/536 | 79.5 | <0.001‡ |
| Kangaroo care during the first 3 days of life | 443/1038 | 42.7 | 95/388 | 24.5 | 106/563 | 18.7 | <0.001** |
| Parental involvement in feeding support †† during the first week of life | 495/987 | 50.2 | 139/379 | 36.7 | 166/563 | 29.5 | <0.001** |
| Breast contact during the first week of life | 138/1031 | 13.4 | 27/381 | 7.1 | 29/584 | 5.0 | <0.001** |
*Clusters are defined according to the distribution of care within units using a hierarchical analysis.
†Adjusted for gestational age, antenatal corticosteroids and small-for-gestational age.
‡Adjusted for gestational age.
§Adjusted for gestational age and hypotension.
¶Adjusted for gestational age, small-for-gestational age and normal bowel frequency defined as at least one stool per day.
**Adjusted for gestational age, type of pregnancy and mode of delivery.
††Parental involvement in feeding support was defined as a feed with support or swaddling by parents, or during skin-to-skin contact, or opportunity for the baby to suck a dummy offered by parents during tube feeding. Data are number of events/number in group and percentages. P values were estimated from a logistic model adjusted for specified variables.
O-SH-GA, opioids, sedatives-hypnotics, or general anaesthetics; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus.