Speaking Of Nec: Necrotizing Enterocolitis"

Dr. Sheila Gephart. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sheila Gephart. Episode 8 features Dr. Sheila Gephart, neonatal nurse scientist and assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing. During this episode, Dr. Gephart provides a comprehensive overview of GutCheckNEC, a first-of-its-kind, 10-item risk assessment that she developed for the early detection of NEC in premature infants. She discusses: * Her transition from bedside nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit to her development of GutCheckNEC—what she calls a “real-time, early warning score for NEC,”* The 10 risk factors that make up GutCheckNEC, their associated symptoms, and how risk is communicated,* The development of NEC Zero, an intervention that has evolved out of the Unit NEC rate component of GutCheckNEC,* The strength of evidence for the use of probiotics in the prevention of NEC, and* The importance of shared decision making in the NICU. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was produced in part by