ACoRN: Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns

The Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns (ACoRN) program trains health care providers to stabilize that most challenging and enigmatic of medical patients: the unwell newborn. Early assessment, intervention, and management of at-risk or unstable infants can be critical for their survival and long-term health. Clinical care standards and educational programs to address these requirements are needed. The ACoRN program provides a unique, prioritized, and systematic approach to newborn stabilization for health care professionals with any degree of experience. ACoRN-trained providers learn to gather information, prioritize, intervene appropriately, and deliver high quality care to at-risk and unwell newborns in any setting. Because research and practice have advanced dramatically in recent years, the need for a new ACoRN text, the program’s centrepiece, became essential—hence the development of this new edition, which reflects current guidelines and evidence-based best practices. ACoRN teaches the concepts and skills required to stabilize unwell newborns through system-based algorithms (Sequences), each with its own chapter: respiratory, cardiovascular, neurology, surgical conditions, fluid and glucose, jaundice, thermoregulation, and infection. The ACoRN mnemonic defines stabilization steps and chapter structure: alerting signs, core steps, organization of care, response, next steps, and specific diagnosis and management. Each chapter includes educational objectives, key concepts, learning points, and at least one case scenario with questions and answers to reinforce content and learnings. This book is written for any health professional who may be required to participate in the stabilization of sick or preterm babies within their scope of practice.