Table 1 Characteristics and prescription profile of neonates admitted to a NICU in Brazil

N

23

34

48

39

48

192

--

Male (%)

43.5

50.0

58.3

53.8

50.0

52.0

0.804^a

Cesarean delivery (%)

43.5

67.6

79.2

79.5

64.6

69.2

0.019^a

Discharge (%)

17.4

38.2

56.3

59.0

66.7

51.5

<0.001^a

Transfer (%)

17.4

14.7

27.1

23.1

22.9

21.8

<0.001^a

Deaths (%)

65.2

47.1

16.7

17.9

10.4

26.5

<0.001^a

Survivors (%)

34.8

52.9

83.3

82.1

89.6

73.4

<0.001^a

APGAR 1’ (mean, SD)

6.0 ± 2.7

5.9 ± 2.0

6.5 ± 1.8

7.0 ± 1.6

6.8 ± 2.0

6.5 ± 2.0

0.139 ^b

APGAR 5’ (mean, SD)

7.7 ± 2.2

7.9 ± 1.3

8.1 ± 1.1

8.5 ± 1.0

8.2 ± 1.3

8.1 ± 1.3

0.100^b

Resuscitation (%)

69.6

79.4

68.8

64.1

56.3

66.6

0.275^a

Birth weight (mean, SD- g)

804.0 ± 164.0

1078.4 ± 268.6

1681.4 ± 276.1

2244.5 ± 594.1

2983.7 ± 585.6

1909.5 ± 886.0

<0.001^c

NICU stay (days)

24.0 ± 25.1

24.2 ± 19.5

14.7 ± 13.1

18.0 ± 15.0

17.3 ± 19.3

18.8 ± 18.2

0.203^b

Neonate-days

552

824

706

705

730

3617

--

Prescriptions (mean, SD)

23.6 ± 24.4

22.5 ± 19.2

13.3 ± 12.3

16.6 ± 15.7

14.1 ± 18.6

17.0 ± 17.9

0.019^b

Drugs (mean, SD)

11.5 ± 6.0

11.9 ± 5.3

6.9 ± 4.9

9.0 ± 5.8

7.1 ± 6.9

8.8 ± 6.1

<0.001^c

Drugs/prescription (mean, SD)

4.1 ± 1.5

4.2 ± 1.4

2.8 ± 1.4

3.8 ± 1.8

3.0 ± 2.0

3.4 ± 1.7

<0.001^c

>6 drugs (%)

73.9

85.3

41.7

53.8

37.5

54.7

<0.001^a

Exposure to UL (%)

26.1

20.5

10.4

2.6

8.3

11.9

0.030^a

Exposure to OL (%)

100

100

100

100

97.9

99.5

0.555^a

UL and OL/prescription (mean, SD)

3.6 ± 1.3

3.5 ± 1.3

2.5 ± 1.2

3.3 ± 1.5

2.5 ± 1.8

3.0 ± 1.5

<0.001^c

Exposure to high-alert medications (%)

82.6

97.0

60.4

69.2

64.5

72.4

0.002^a

Number of high-alert medications (mean, SD)

2.6 ± 1.4

2.4 ± 1.5

2.1 ± 1.1

2.7 ± 1.5

2.7 ± 1.5

2.5 ± 1.4

0.561^b

Exposure to harmful excipients (%)

91.3

100.0

93.7

92.3

83.3

91.6

0.101^a

Formulations with harmful excipients (mean, SD)

4.5 ± 2.1

4.5 ± 2.0

3.2 ± 1.6

4.1 ± 1.7

3.8 ± 2.2

3.4 ± 2.1

0.001^b