Basic care reduces neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia.
We studied the frequency of jaundice, bilirubin estimations, phototherapy administration and exchange transfusions performed at 5 year intervals (1981, 1986 and 1991) among babies admitted to special care unit and those managed in postnatal ward, showing a decline which was significant except for the number of exchange transfusions performed. The number of term babies with serum bilirubin > 15 mg/dl and preterm babies with serum bilirubin > 10 mg/dl also declined significantly without prophylactic phototherapy or pharmacotherapy.