NETS WA clinician wins top honour for groundbreaking neonatal transport study

Dr Saumil Desai, representing the Newborn Emergency Transport Service (NETS WA) and the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS), has been awarded Best Oral Paper at the prestigious Australia and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN) Neonatal Clinical Practice Improvement Conference, recently held in Sydney.

Dr Desai’s presentation, titled “Quicker team launch times on urgent priority NETS WA retrievals: A quality improvement study”, highlighted a transformative initiative aimed at reducing neonatal transport team departure times.

Launch times, defined as the interval between receiving a call and team departure, are critical in ensuring timely access to life-saving care for critically ill newborns.

The study demonstrated that NETS WA is the first neonatal transport service in Australia to report significant improvements in launch times.

These enhancements mean faster response rates and earlier intervention for vulnerable infants, potentially improving outcomes in high-risk scenarios.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in neonatal care,” said NETS WA Medical Director, Jonathan Davis.

“We’re proud to lead the way in setting new benchmarks for transport efficiency.”

The findings have been published in the Journal of Perinatology, further cementing NETS WA’s role as a national leader in neonatal transport innovation.