Efficacy of early neonatal vitamin A supplementation in reducing mortality during infancy in Ghana, India and Tanzania: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Vitamin A supplementation of 6-59 month old children is currently recommended by the World Health Organization based on evidence that it reduces mortality. There has been considerable interest in determining the benefits of neonatal vitamin A supplementation, but the results of existing trials are conflicting. A technical consultation convened by WHO pointed to the need for larger scale studies in Asia and Africa to inform global policy on the use of neonatal vitamin A supplementation. Three trials were therefore initiated in Ghana, India and Tanzania to determine if vitamin A supplementation (50,000 IU) given to neonates once orally on the day of birth or within the next two days will reduce mortality in the period from supplementation to 6 months of age compared to placebo. The trials are individually randomized, double masked, and placebo controlled. The required sample size is 40,200 in India and 32,000 each in Ghana and Tanzania. The study participants are neonates who fulfil age eligibility, whose families are likely to stay in the study area for the next 6 months, who are able to feed orally, and whose parent(s) provide informed written consent to participate in the study. Neonates randomized to the intervention group receive 50,000 IU vitamin A and the ones randomized to the control group receive placebo at the time of enrollment. Mortality and morbidity information are collected through periodic home visits by a study worker during infancy. The primary outcome of the study is mortality from supplementation to 6 months of age. The secondary outcome of the study is mortality from supplementation to 12 months of age. The three studies will be analysed independent of each other. Subgroup analysis will be carried out to determine the effect by birth weight, sex, and timing of DTP vaccine, socioeconomic groups and maternal large-dose vitamin A supplementation. The three ongoing studies are the largest studies evaluating the efficacy of vitamin A supplementation to neonates. Policy formulation will be based on the results of efficacy of the intervention from the ongoing randomized controlled trials combined with results of previous studies

Sofrimento moral e a dimensão ética no trabalho da enfermagem Sufrimiento moral y la dimensión de ética en el trabajo de enfermería Moral distress and the ethical dimension in nursing work

Trabalhadores de enfermagem vivenciam problemas morais, dilemas morais e sofrimento moral, no seu cotidiano profissional. O sofrimento moral manifesta-se quando os trabalhadores apresentam dificuldades para executar situações moralmente adequadas, segundo suas consciências. O texto tem como objetivo enfocar o sofrimento moral dos trabalhadores de enfermagem e sua relação com problemas morais e dilemas morais, abordando conceitos, vivências de sofrimento moral e possíveis estratégias a serem adotadas para o seu enfrentamento. Enfocar o sofrimento moral provocado pelo enfrentamento de problemas e dilemas morais no trabalho da enfermagem parece fundamental, não apenas para desvelar um fenômeno ainda pouco conhecido, mesmo que vivenciado quase que diariamente, mas, também, para destacar a necessidade de problematização e valorização da dimensão ética do trabalho em saúde.<br>Trabajadores de enfermería vivencian problemas morales, dilemas morales y sufrimiento moral en su trabajo diario. Sufrimiento moral surge mientras los trabajadores de enfermería presentan dificultades para el desempeño de situaciones moralmente adecuadas según su conciencia. El texto tiene como objetivo centrarse sufrimiento moral de trabajadores de enfermería y su relación con problemas morales y dilemas morales, centrándose en conceptos, experiencias de sufrimiento moral y posibles estrategias a adoptar para su enfrentamiento. Direccionar sufrimiento moral causado por enfrentamiento de problemas y dilemas morales en el trabajo de enfermería, parece esencial no soló para develar un fenómeno todavía poco conocido, incluso experimentado casi a diario, pero también, poner de relieve la necesidad de problematización y recuperación de la dimensión ética del trabajo en salud.<br>Nurses face moral problems, moral dilemmas and moral distress in their professional daily. The moral distress manifests itself when nurses demonstrate difficulties to face situations morally appropriate following their conscious. The study aims to focus about the nurses' moral distress and their relationship with moral problems and moral dilemmas presenting concepts, moral distress experiences and possible strategies to be adopted to face it. To focus on the moral distress provoked by facing the moral problems and dilemmas in nursery work seems to be primordial not just to reveal a phenomenon still a little known even experienced almost every day but, also to headline the need of problematization and valorization of the ethical dimension of work in health