The impact of COVID-19 on the care of the newborn infants and families we serve is highly uncertain and rapidly changing.

VON and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine (SONPM) created a tool to help newborn care teams understand the impact of COVID-19 in their own units and more broadly in the neonatal community. Our goal is to inform local and national decision-making for program evaluation and quality improvement.

The audit is open to all hospitals caring for infants (regardless of VON membership). The audit will be conducted on a single day of your choice and you may choose to repeat the audit each month.

Aggregate reporting will appear on this page.

Current and upcoming audit collection dates are: June 2020, September 2020, and December 2020.

The VON SONPM COVID-19 Impact Audits in April, May and June revealed significant impacts on families in newborn care units around the world, even in hospitals that had not yet experienced any cases.

Please share a story of a family whose care in your hospital was affected by COVID-19 or changes in care practices due to COVID-19.

• We welcome stories from around the world, from all NICU disciplines, family advisors, and parents.
• The story can be about any aspect of the pandemic’s effects, such as: confirmed or suspected cases of infection in parents or infants; financial hardship; lost employment or other resources; separation; restricted visitation.
• We are particularly interested in stories about disproportionately affected populations in the US and internationally, such as minorities, socially disadvantaged, or immigrants.

Participants reported  27 confirmed cases and 228 suspected cases in mother-baby rooms, Level I, II, III, or IV units, or special units for COVID-19. The numbers of newborns with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are low at most centers, ranging from 0 to 20.

Many centers are experiencing shortages of equipment, testing and personnel that significantly affect the quality of care for newborn infants and families: 42% experienced at least one shortage.

Thank you to the newborn care teams at 278 hospitals in 13 countries that participated in May, the second month of the audit!

Join the discussion on our Community Forum and interactive webinars to explore more audit results and address other questions about the impact on newborn care.

Back to all VON COVID-19 Resources