2. Born too soon
Worldwide, every year 15 million babies are born too soon (= before week 37 of pregnancy), that is more than 1 baby in 10
≈ very preterm babies survive annually in the EU
Compared to babies born at term, these babies face higher risks of poorer long-term outcomes
Problems start in early childhood and have lifelong consequences and a high economic impact for families as well as health and social systems
WHO, Preterm birth, 2017

3. Follow-up programmes…
Are essential to monitor among others visual and auditory deficits, impaired cognitive ability, psychiatric disorders and behavioural issues
Aim to:
identify health problems early
enable interventions in order to improve outcome and
allow optimal management and coordination of care
Despite the recognised importance of these programmes, little is known yet about their actual spread, application, effectiveness and impact in Europe

4. SHIPS – key question
What is the impact of follow-up programmes on health, care and quality of life for very preterm infants and their families?
How are health and wellbeing at the age of 5?
What does follow-up look like in the first 5 years of life?
Which recommendations and guidelines for follow- up can be derived?

5. SHIPS – supporting partners
19 participating regions from 11 EU member states
Expertise from obstetrics, paediatrics, epidemiology and health services research as well as parent representatives

6. SHIPS – structure and methods
Study 1: Characteristics of regional and unit-based follow-up programmes
(via questionnaires for hospitals)
Study 2: Reported health and child development, family wellbeing and use of health services
(via parental questionnaire)
Study 3: In-depth assessments of child health and development at 5 years of age for a sub-set of children at higher risk of adverse outcomes
(via standardised tests)
Study 4: Parents’ and families’ experiences of follow-up and subsequent care
(via qualitative interviews with parents)

7. SHIPS – expected results
Data and tools to implement effective and evidence-based follow-up programmes in Europe:
A database describing existing follow-up programmes for very preterm infants
Validated indicators for programme evaluation
Measurement of the impact of follow-up programmes on multiple outcomes
Identification of the organisational and patient determinants of success with respect to use, continuity and impact
Guidelines on how to best perform follow-up, endorsed by professional and scientific societies as well as user associations to disseminate findings and promote change

8. SHIPS – expected results
New knowledge to improve follow-up
Assessment tools for a European context, including parental questionnaires for integration into follow-up programmes for screening purposes and also for future research
Models for decision-making to identify infants at highest risk of developmental delay and most likely to benefit from follow-up programmes
Evaluation of the added value of systematic assessment at 5 years of age
 Through its assessments at 5 years of age, SHIPS will show how many children have health and developmental problems that were not detected by the age of 2, as well as those that remained untreated until 5.

9. SHIPS – coordination and contact
Project Coordination
Dr Jennifer Zeitlin
Institut national de la santé et de la recherche
médicale (INSERM)
Project Management Office
Rym El Rafei
SHIPS project website