Neonatal surveillance: critical factors in newborn survival

Abstract

The care provided to healthy newborns (NBs) is based on careful observation from the moment of birth until the first hours of postnatal life, with the purpose of ensuring that all their needs are met. In this context, it is essential that trained nursing staff carry out the necessary procedures to facilitate the newborn's adaptation to the extrauterine environment. According to López (2014), most full-term newborns have good vitality at birth, so they only require monitoring during their transition, which proceeds without incident. A healthy newborn is characterized by an adequate appearance at birth, implying that they have received prenatal care that has evaluated the maternal-fetal binomial and ruled out potential additional risk factors (p. 513). The purpose of this work is to identify the essential interventions and procedures for an adequate evaluation of the newborn's general condition, including physical examination, review of family history, immediate care, and routine practices based on scientific knowledge and medical criteria. These actions guarantee both the quality of care and the safety of the healthy newborn.