FREQUENT QUESTIONS

Three low-cost, high-impact safety strategies for administering medication to newborns are:

Mandatory independent double-checking: Two professionals separately verify the calculation, drug, dosage, and route of administration for high-risk medications prior to administration.

Standardization of concentrations and labeling: A single concentration per drug within the unit, using clear labels and color-coding to distinguish dosages.

Priority strategies for ensuring safety in medication administration for newborns include:

A culture of safety and error reporting Standardized protocols and checklists; double-checking during preparation and administration

Supportive technology A protected environment during preparation A

ppropriate nurse-to-patient ratios, prioritization of complex cases, and assignment of highly experienced staff Involving the family as a partner in safety

Treatment to prevent congenital syphilis is considered adequate if it is initiated 30 days before delivery. This regimen prevents congenital syphilis.

Additionally, the pregnant woman must receive treatment based on the staging of the case:

Primary, secondary, and early latent syphilis:

■ 1 dose of benzathine penicillin (2,400,000 IU IM).

Syphilis of unknown duration, late latent, and tertiary syphilis:

■ 3 doses of benzathine penicillin (2,400,000 IU IM), with one-week intervals between doses.

Diagnostic tests for syphilis are classified into treponemal tests (TT) and non-treponemal tests (NTT).

NTT include the VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory), USR (VDRL modified for unheated serum), and RPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin, involving the addition of carbon particles and macroscopic reading). These tests measure antibodies produced in response to the infection.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium (*Treponema pallidum*) that spreads through contact with sores during unprotected sex.

Symptoms can include painless sores, rashes, and flu-like symptoms.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has updated regional syphilis estimates for the Americas. An estimated 4.2 million new syphilis cases occurred in 2024 - 500,000 more than in 2022 - representing a 15% increase. Ninety percent of these new cases were concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Moreover, the estimated syphilis prevalence in pregnant women in LAC has been rising steadely, with estimated prevalence reaching 2,1% in 2024, up from 1,4% in 2019.

Given their social and biological risk factors, premature, small, or sick newborns must meet certain criteria for safe hospital discharge.

When it is not possible to avoid preterm birth, the most beneficial interventions are those that can increase the chances of survival and improve health outcomes for premature infants.

These interventions are provided to mothers shortly before or during delivery to prevent immediate or future health-related problems in the premature newborn, such as lung immaturity, susceptibility to infection, and neurological complications.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in childhood. Managing ROP is a priority policy to reduce its prevalence and promote eye health.

The equipment used in transport must comply with several general characteristics:

• Appropriate for the age group and for the health problems to be managed.
• Lightweight, portable, rugged and easy to clean
• It must be securely fastened in the transport vehicle for patient and equipment safety.
• Tested in transport conditions (temperature, altitude, vibration).

It is essential to have equipment that allows for: