NICUs in the US: levels of acuity, number of beds, and relationships to population factors

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To 1) define the number and characteristics of NICUs in the United States (US) and 2) identify hospital and population characteristics related to US NICUs.

STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study of US NICUs.

RESULTS: There were 1424 NICUs identified in the US. Higher number of NICU beds was positively associated with higher NICU level (p < 0.0001). Higher acuity level and number of NICU beds related to being in a children's hospital (p < 0.0001;p < 0.0001), part of an academic center (p = 0.006;p = 0.001), and in a state with Certificate of Need legislation (p = 0.023;p = 0.046). Higher acuity level related to higher population density (p < 0.0001), and higher number of beds related to increasing proportions of minorities in the population up until 50% minorities. There was also significant variation in NICU level by region.

CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes new knowledge by describing an updated registry of NICUs in the US in 2021 that can be used for comparisons and benchmarking.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)796-805
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Perinatology
Volume43
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - May 19 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Funding

This work was supported by grant UL1TR001855 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, specifically by the biostatistics core of the CTSA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Open access funding provided by SCELC, Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology

Disciplines

  • Pediatrics
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology

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