Timing of neonatal stoma closure: a survey of health professional perspectives and current practice
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Optimal timing for neonatal stoma closure remains unclear. In this study we aimed to establish current
practice and illustrate multidisciplinary perspectives on timing of stoma closure using an online survey sent
to all 27 UK neonatal surgical units, as part of a research programme to determine feasibility of a clinical trial
comparing ‘early’ and ‘late’ stoma closure. 166 responses from all 27 units demonstrated concordance of
opinion in target time for closure (6 weeks most commonly stated across scenarios), although there was
high variability in practice. A sizeable proportion (41%) of respondents use weight, rather than time, to
determine when to close a neonatal stoma. Thematic analysis of free-text responses identified 9 key themes
influencing decision making; most related to nutrition, growth and stoma complications. These data provide
an overview of current practice that is critical to informing an acceptable trial design.
practice and illustrate multidisciplinary perspectives on timing of stoma closure using an online survey sent
to all 27 UK neonatal surgical units, as part of a research programme to determine feasibility of a clinical trial
comparing ‘early’ and ‘late’ stoma closure. 166 responses from all 27 units demonstrated concordance of
opinion in target time for closure (6 weeks most commonly stated across scenarios), although there was
high variability in practice. A sizeable proportion (41%) of respondents use weight, rather than time, to
determine when to close a neonatal stoma. Thematic analysis of free-text responses identified 9 key themes
influencing decision making; most related to nutrition, growth and stoma complications. These data provide
an overview of current practice that is critical to informing an acceptable trial design.
Date Acceptance
2021-07-09
Citation
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 107 (4)
ISSN
1359-2998
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition
Volume
107
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Sponsor
National Institute for Health Research
Identifier
https://fn.bmj.com/content/107/4/448
Grant Number
G69250 (NIHR128570)
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Pediatrics
neonatology
growth
gastroenterology
qualitative research
gastroenterology
growth
neonatology
qualitative research
Pediatrics
1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine
Publication Status
Published