Displaced women and children walk through a temporary refugee camp, illustrating the ongoing humanitarian crisis and its impact on vulnerable families. © FREEP!K   Access to consistent, high-quality pregnancy and newborn care can vary widely between populations. Differences in care pathways may affect health outcomes for mothers and newborns, especially in vulnerable groups. Standardised newborn care aims to reduce these gaps by ensuring the same level of care across settings. This is particularly important for families who face barriers in navigating health systems. This Research News is relevant for parents, families, and health professionals involved in pregnancy and newborn care. It highlights evidence showing where care is uneven and why aligning care standards matters for equity.   Differences in pregnancy and newborn care are often linked to where people live and their social circumstances. Refugee families may experience gaps in access to services that are routinely available to others. Standardised newborn care can help reduce these differences by defining clear expectations for care. In this context, standardised newborn care supports fairness and safety for all families. The featured study reviews existing research on maternal and newborn health among Syrian refugees living in Turkey. It compares health indicators between refugee and non-refugee populations using published studies. The aim was to identify inequalities in access to care and health outcomes related to pregnancy and the newborn period.   Why standardised care matters for equitable outcomes The review found clear differences in access to antenatal care between refugee and non-refugee women. Refugee women were less likely to receive at least four antenatal care visits during pregnancy. They were also less likely to receive iron supplementation and more likely to experience anaemia in late pregnancy. Adolescent pregnancy and home birth were more common among refugees. These findings point to gaps in how consistently care standards are applied. Strengthening standardised care pathways could help ensure timely and appropriate care for all pregnant women and newborns. Some outcomes did not differ between groups, showing that variation is not universal. Rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and neonatal intensive care admission were similar. Refugee women had lower rates , which the review links mainly to differences in maternal age rather than care quality. These mixed findings highlight that equity in care is complex. Standardised care can help focus attention on areas where gaps are most evident.   What this means for parents and health professionals For parents and families, the findings highlight how difficult it can be to access recommended care when information, language support, or services are not consistently available. Clear and well-communicated standards can help health systems support families more effectively, rather than placing responsibility on parents alone. Shared standards can help reduce missed care opportunities and improve communication across services. Improving equity starts with recognising variation in care. Discussing care standards with health teams can support more consistent practice. Learning from this evidence can help move towards fairer, high-quality care for every newborn and family.   Paper available at: Maternal and newborn health inequality among Syrian refugees in Turkey: a systematic review and meta-analysis Full list of authors: Hakimi, S; Ceber Turfan, E; Allahqoli, L; Ahmadi, M; Sogukpinar, N; Demirelöz Akyüz, M; Mehrabi, E; Rahmani, A; Alkatout, I DOI: 10.1186/s12939-025-02506-2

A tender moment between two parents and their newborn, symbolising the importance of family-centred newborn care. © Pexels Every newborn deserves care that protects their dignity and rights from the moment of birth. Yet, this global systematic review reveals that many infants experience disrespect and even abuse in healthcare facilities. Drawing on data from ten studies across Africa, Asia, and the United States, the research explored how newborns are treated after childbirth and identified factors that increase the risk of mistreatment. The findings show that disrespectful and unsafe practices, such as unnecessary procedures without consent, separation from mothers, or lack of breastfeeding support, remain widespread. The study highlights an urgent need to prioritise respectful newborn care as a core part of quality healthcare worldwide. Many countries have made progress in improving survival rates for mothers and infants. However, the quality of care provided immediately after birth often fails to meet international recommendations. Disrespectful practices during newborn care not only violate infants’ basic rights but also undermine parents’ trust in the health system. Simple yet essential actions such as drying, skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and timely breastfeeding are sometimes neglected or carried out without parental consent, revealing persistent gaps between policy and practice. The review included research from diverse settings, analysing data on how infants were treated during and after delivery. It found that newborns frequently experienced unnecessary medical procedures, poor communication from staff, and separation from their mothers without medical reason. Many parents reported not being informed about their infant’s care, and in some cases, caregivers failed to obtain consent before performing procedures. Physical handling such as slapping or shaking, or withholding breastfeeding guidance, were also reported, demonstrating a lack of standardised respectful care practices.   Reveals about disrespectful newborn care Across the studies, between 18 and 92 percent of infants were exposed to at least one form of disrespect or abuse. Key risk factors included preterm birth, being born to single or low-income mothers, and births assisted by instruments. Female infants were more likely than males to experience mistreatment. Infants born to mothers with limited education or those living in rural areas were also more likely to face inadequate care. Alarmingly, medical interventions without consent were common: up to 63 percent of newborns in some facilities were treated without their parents’ permission. Additional findings revealed missed opportunities for essential newborn care. Many infants were not placed in skin-to-skin contact, not breastfed within the first hour, or separated from their mothers without justification. Such practices can disrupt bonding, delay feeding, and increase stress for both infants and parents. The review also noted that when mothers themselves experienced abuse during childbirth, their newborns were more likely to be mistreated, suggesting a link between maternal and newborn care experiences.   Moving towards dignified and safe care The study emphasises that respectful newborn care is a fundamental human right. Training healthcare providers to follow evidence-based practices and communicate clearly with parents can significantly improve outcomes. Policies should ensure that no infant is denied care due to gender, family background, or socioeconomic status. Strengthening pre-service and in-service education on ethics, communication, and consent is crucial to creating a lasting culture of compassion and respect within maternity and neonatal care settings. Improving the quality of care during childbirth and the early postnatal period is vital to reducing avoidable deaths and ensuring that every newborn begins life in safety and dignity. Respectful care is not only a moral obligation but also a pathway towards healthier families and stronger health systems worldwide.   Paper available at: Respectful care of newborns after childbirth globally: a systematic review Full list of authors: Haghdoost, S.; Montazeri, S.; Iravani, M. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330251346063

Caring for newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has advanced greatly thanks to modern technology, but a crucial factor often remains overlooked: the role of parents. Extended hospitalisation and separation can affect both infants and families, leading to stress and long-term challenges. Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model that makes parents active members of the healthcare team, enabling them to be the primary caregivers for their infants. This approach has been studied in several countries and shows important benefits. Newborns experience better health outcomes, families feel more confident and less stressed, and healthcare professionals report higher satisfaction. Evidence shows that FICare is safe, feasible, and beneficial in diverse settings, making it an important step towards consistent standards in newborn care worldwide.   Parents of preterm or ill newborns often face emotional stress and uncertainty during long hospital stays. Traditional care models sometimes limit their involvement, which can impact both infant development and parental well-being. Recognising this, FICare emphasises that parents are not just visitors but essential caregivers. The reviewed studies include international experiences from Canada, China, the USA, Europe, and even Uganda, highlighting how FICare can be adapted to different health systems. While originally designed for stable preterm infants, it has now expanded to include critically ill newborns, showing that the model is flexible and broadly applicable.   Better outcomes for infants and families Research consistently shows that newborns cared for under FICare gain weight faster, establish feeding earlier, and spend fewer days in hospital compared with standard care. Long-term benefits include improved self-regulation, motor development, and language skills. Families also benefit through reduced stress, anxiety, and post-discharge trauma. Mothers reported lower stress hormone levels and felt more confident in caring for their children, supporting smoother transitions to home life. In addition, FICare strengthens the collaboration between parents and healthcare staff. Nurses and doctors shift from being the sole providers of care to becoming mentors and guides, enabling parents to take on responsibilities safely. Studies found that this approach does not increase risks, even for very ill infants, but instead fosters trust and stronger bonds.   Towards global implementation The importance of implementing family-centred standards across all countries cannot be overstated. The FICare model is already being adapted in various cultural and economic contexts. A European-led consortium is working to scale up and tailor the model to both high-resource and low-resource settings, proving that it can be applied worldwide. Implementing such standards within the ESCNH framework offers a clear path to ensuring that all infants, regardless of where they are born, receive the best possible start in life. FICare demonstrates that when families are empowered and included, outcomes improve for everyone: infants, parents, and professionals. Moving towards global standards of newborn care based on models like FICare can create more equitable and compassionate health systems. Parents should be encouraged to play an active role, and healthcare providers supported to make this collaboration a daily reality.   Paper available at: Family integrated care: State of art and future perspectives – PubMed Full list of authors: Moreno-Sanz, B.; Alferink, M. T.; O’Brien, K.; Franck, L. S. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.17272