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Objective: Thrombocytopenia has recently become a significant problem in patients admitted to neonatal intensive care unit. In this population, the cases of acquired thrombocytopenia is more noteworthy. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the causes of acquired thrombocytopenia in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods: Total of 588 infants, who admitted to NICU between 2013-2014, enrolled in the study and they were divided into three groups according to their platelet levels; mild (100-150x109/mm³), moderate (50-99x109/mm³) and severe (<50x109/mm³) thrombocytopenia. İnfants Infants were classified into two groups according to the time at onset; early onset (within first 72 hours) and late-onset (after 72 hours) thrombocytopenia. Prenatal risk factors for thrombocytopenia; maternal hypertension and gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, delivery mode and active resuscitation at birth, perinatal asphyxia and neonatal risk factors; gestational age, gender, comorbid diagnoses were studied. Results: Thrombocytopenia was seen in 79 of 588 cases (13.4%). 28 (35.0%) of them had mild, 24 (30.0%) had moderate and 27 (34.0%) severe thrombocytopenia. Infants with early onset thrombocytopenia were 56.9% (n=45) of cases. 60.0% of neonates (n=48) were preterm, 40.0% of neonates was the term. 40.0% of cases were girls. According to the mode of delivery, 58 neonates were born by cesarean section. 43 babies were (54.0%) initially actively resuscitated in the delivery room. The most common neonatal factor was perinatal asphyxia. The most common diagnosis were related with respiratory problems (respiratory distress syndrome, congenital pneumonia, transient tachypnea of the newborn, meconium aspiration syndrome) (n=47) and the other diagnosis were hyperbilirubinemia (ABO incompatibility) (n=12), sepsis (n=9), congenital heart diseases (n=4), convulsion (n=2), hypoglycemia (n=2), Down syndrome (n=1), nutrition intolerance (n=1), Pierre Robin Syndrome (n=1). Conclusion: In the neonatal intensive care unit, thrombocytopenia incidence was determined as 13.4%. Maternal hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and prematurity were prominent risk factors for early onset thrombocytopenia, neonatal sepsis was the prominent factor of late-onset thrombocytopenia in newborn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient navigation program was first developed by Dr. Harold Freeman in New York in 1990 in order to decrease the mortality rates of the poor and black women with breast cancer at the 3rd and the 4th stages. Over time, the program has focused to remove the financial, logistics and sociocultural obstacles in the treatment. Patient navigation can be defined as a management program, which is specific to cultural values and which can be used as a map or a navigator by the patients, who are surrounded by the complex and dissociated health information system. The navigator program is used today due to the problems created by factors such as race, ethnic, gender or political discrimination, low socio-economic level, absence of social insurance, distance to the health services or illiteracy. The patient navigation program lays a bridge between the patients and the health system. Patient navigators, who receive intensive training, reach to the patients, support the patients, start and continue nursing and treatment and hold the medical records. The patient navigation program is the key for the under privileged patients with oncologic or chronic diseases to receive health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]