Presentations
- Abnormal neonatal blood spot test for immune disorder
- Antenatal infections or colonisation
- Eye discharge
- Immunosuppression as a result of maternal medication
- Maternal illness in labour
- Non-specific symptoms, including:
- lethargy
- poor feeding
- temperature instability
- Overwhelming sepsis in a neonate
- Rashes
- Respiratory distress
Conditions
- Bacterial, fungal, protozoal, and viral infections, such as:
- COVID-19
- cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- fungal infections
- group B streptococcus
- hepatitis:
- herpes simplex
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- meningitis:
- neonatal varicella
- nosocomial infection
- other respiratory viruses, including:
- respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- septicaemia
- streptococci – group A
- syphilis
- urinary tract infection
- Immune conditions, such as:
- iatrogenic immunosuppression, such as:
- secondary to steroid exposure
- neutropaenia
- severe combined immunodeficiency
For each presentation and condition, Advanced Trainees will know how to:
Synthesise
- recognise the clinical presentation
- identify relevant epidemiology, prevalence, pathophysiology, and clinical science
- take a comprehensive clinical history
- conduct an appropriate examination
- establish a differential diagnosis
- plan and arrange appropriate investigations
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients and their quality of life when
developing a management plan
Manage
- provide evidence-based management
- prescribe therapies tailored to patients’ needs and conditions
- recognise potential complications of disease and its management, and initiate
preventative strategies
- involve multidisciplinary teams
Consider other factors
- identify individual and social factors and the impact of these on diagnosis and
management
Conditions
- Sepsis secondary to antibiotic resistant organisms, such as:
- extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)
- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Severe combined immunodeficiency
- Tuberculosis
- Viruses, such as:
- Zoonoses
For each presentation and condition, Advanced Trainees will know how to:
Synthesise
- recognise the clinical presentation
- identify relevant epidemiology, prevalence, pathophysiology, and clinical science
- take a comprehensive clinical history
- conduct an appropriate examination
- establish a differential diagnosis
- plan and arrange appropriate investigations
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients and their quality of life when
developing a management plan
Manage
- provide evidence-based management
- prescribe therapies tailored to patients’ needs and conditions
- recognise potential complications of disease and its management, and initiate
preventative strategies
- involve multidisciplinary teams
Consider other factors
- identify individual and social factors and the impact of these on diagnosis and
management
- Pathophysiology of:
- overwhelming sepsis in neonates
- postnatal eye infection
- Principles of:
- bacterial, fungal, protozoal, and viral infections, such as:
- choice and use of antimicrobial therapy and management of drug toxicity
- congenital infections
- diagnostic tests, including interpretation of acute phase reactants and blood
parameters
- prevention and management of outbreaks within the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU)
- risk factors
- immunosuppression due to:
- maternal biologic agents
- modifications to standard immunisation schedule
- prevention and treatment of nosocomial infection
- the developing immune system, especially in premature infants
Investigations
- Interpretation of acute phase reactants
- Management of outbreaks, such as:
- cohorting
- infection control
- screening
- Newborn blood spot test as a screening tool for immune disorders
- Septic work-up, such as:
- blood culture
- lumbar punctures
- sterile urine collection
Procedures
- Abdominal paracentesis
- Aseptic techniques
- Blood cultures
- Lumbar punctures:
- suprapubic aspirations
- urinary catheter insertion
- ventricular aspiration via reservoir device
- Screening swabs for management of outbreaks
- Use data-driven tools for clinical decision-making support, considering local context
- Impact of therapies in the newborn period, and the potential subsequent development of allergies
