This project aims to develop a uniformly applicable self-assessment tool in different languages with the overall goal to support care providers across Europe to measure the level of implementation of the ESCNH, to pinpoint possible inhibitors, and ultimately to increase the extent of implementation. Covering the great variety of standards in one hands-on and easy-to-use self-assessment tool requires prioritising the most important components. This has to be approached in a systematic and scientific manner. For this purpose, a two-round electronic (e) Delphi survey will be conducted followed by an expert workshop. The aim of the two-stage eDelphi process is to lay a solid ground for the self-assessment tool. Prior to the eDelphi rounds, members of the study team together with the Project Expert Group (PEG) will condense and prioritise the ESCNH into one online questionnaire and thereby elaborate the first framework of the self-assessment tool. Next to participant-related information such as profession or country of employment, the questionnaire will cover specific aspects of the eleven major topics of the ESCNH namely: Birth and transfer, medical care and clinical practice, care procedures, infant- and family-centred developmental care, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) design, nutrition, ethical decision-making and palliative care, follow-up and continuing care, patient safety and hygiene practice, data collection and documentation, education and training. The questionnaire will subsequently, in the first eDelphi round, be evaluated by the eDelphi panel. The panel consist of approximately 100 healthcare professionals from various disciplines related to neonatal care as well as parent representatives. In the first eDelphi round, panellists will appraise the relevance of included content, the wording of questions as well as the prioritisation of content to be included in the self-assessment tool. This will be enabled through a predefined evaluation scheme as well as free-text fields. Based on feedback from panellists, the preliminary self-assessment tool will be adapted by adding additional information, removing unnecessary items and re-wording if necessary. In the subsequent (second) eDelphi round, the same panellists will receive qualitative and quantitative information on the adaptation of the first version and will have again the option to evaluate the adapted questionnaire. Remaining discrepancies will be discussed in a final consensus workshop. For this purpose, 20-30 panellists will be selected based on their level of experience and invited for participation. The result of the workshop will be the agreed-upon content for the self-assessment tool. Except for the workshop, data collection during the eDelphi rounds will be anonymous.

To ensure applicability, the self-assessment tool will be pilot tested in European hospitals. For this purpose, the self-assessment tool will be translated into 5 languages (German, French, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese, and Spanish). For the pilot-testing, healthcare professionals in 10 pilot hospitals across Europe will be invited to evaluate the self-assessment tool. Feedback of the pilot-testing will be discussed with the PEG and adapted accordingly.