Neonatal Skin Condition Score for Assessing Neonates’ Skin

Aryan Kumar Gupta*, Pramod Jog, Shruti Talewad, Bal Krishna Garud, Srinija Garlapati, Sailaja Mane

Abstract

Background and Aim: Neonatal skin condition score (NSCS) is a tool used to assess basic skin parameters (ie, erythema, dryness, and skin breakdown). It can be used routinely in hospitals for evaluating the neonates’ skin. This study aims to test the effectiveness of the NSCS system in assessing neonates’ skin.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Center (Pune, Maharashtra, India). The study enrolled 1,000 neonates after taking written informed consent from parents or guardians. On day 3 of life, neonates were assessed using NSCS system, and neonates with suspected sepsis were subjected to blood culture test.

Results: Assessment of neonates using the NSCS system showed that neonates with birth weight < 2,000 g had abnormal scores for erythema and breakdown (P = .000 and .0021, respectively), and neonates with birth weight ≥ 3,000 g had an abnormal score for dryness (P = .00). The total skin score was observed to be high in neonates with sepsis (P = .00). A significant association between gestational age (≥ 41 wk) and dryness score was observed (P < .00).

Conclusion: Evaluating neonates using the NSCS system can help identify the need for skin care intervention. The NSCS system has the potential to be included for evaluating neonates’ skin during daily rounds, especially in NICUs. A high NSCS can also be an important indicator of sepsis.