Abstract
Background and Objectives: Jundice is one of the most common clinical phenomena in neonatal period, and phototherapy is a common procedure for treatment it. Expenses, separation from mother, increased risk of infection, imparting a sense of illness to neonate all are drawbacks hospital photothreapy. Home phototherapy is a safe and feasible procedure of treatment. In this study home phototherapy was compared with in-hospital phototherapy to assess: effectiveness, cost, and complications of treatment.
Methods and Materials: A home phototherapy program for healthy term newborns with hyperbilirubinemia case group (n=117) was implemented and results were compared with a group of term neonate who met enrollment criteria but were treated in-hospital, control group ( n=117 ). Parents received instruction on care of newborn including how to record data on a home flow sheet. Data collected by responsible nurse through check list and daily home and hospital visits. Collected information was analysed with spss 10, by distribution pure and percentage frequency, mean standard deviation, x2 test, t student test and repeated measures analysis.
Results: Bilirubin levels decreased as rapidly in home group as in the hospitalized control group (p=0.456). Conjenctivitis and omphalitis as complications of treatment were common in control group (respectively p=0.002, p =0.014).
Conclusion: Home photoherapy is feasible, safe and effective alternative to in-hospital photoherapy for jaundiced otherwise healthy newborns.