• Shafagh Fallah, Xi-Kuan Chen, Derek Lefebvre, Jacqueline Kurji, Joanne Hader, and Kira Leeb.
• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Healthc Q. 2011 Jan 1; 14 (2): 16-20.

AbstractNeonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and intensive care units (ICUs) provide care for newborns in need of specialized medical attention. Across Canada, rates of NICU/ICU admission vary. Due to the high cost of monitoring and interventions these admissions cost more than general newborn stays - whether the newborn is in a specialized NICU or in an ICU in those facilities without specialized units for newborns. This study explores the variation in NICU/ICU admissions and the characteristics of mothers and newborns associated with an increased likelihood of NICU/ICU admission. We focus further on the association between NICU/ICU admission and Caesarean section (C-section). After excluding multiple births, preterm births, small for gestational age births and those delivered by women with select complications, we find an increased risk for NICU/ICU admission for babies born by C-section as their only indication. NICU/ICU admission following C-section alone may not represent the most desirable pathway of care for these newborns.

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