Evaluation of routine neonatal zinc supplementation: clinical outcomes, implementation, and cost-effectiveness across New Zealand neonatal units

About the Project

In May 2026, Auckland City Hospital introduced routine zinc supplementation for newborn babies. Prior to this, zinc supplementation was not routinely provided. This change presents a unique opportunity to evaluate the real-world effectiveness, safety, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of a system-level nutritional intervention in neonatal practice.

This project will use routinely collected clinical data to compare outcomes before and after implementation of routine zinc supplementation. Potential outcomes may include growth, feeding tolerance, duration of parenteral nutrition, cholestasis, late-onset sepsis, length of hospital stay, and other clinically relevant neonatal outcomes. The project will also explore health economic outcomes, including healthcare utilisation and cost-effectiveness.

As other neonatal care strategies were introduced during the same period, the project will include methods to address potential confounding and secular trends, such as interrupted time series analysis, multivariable adjustment, and multicentre comparisons. There is potential to expand the study to multiple neonatal units across New Zealand to strengthen generalisability and evaluate variation in implementation practices.

The project would suit a student interested in neonatal nutrition, epidemiology, or health economics. Opportunities may include quantitative analysis, qualitative evaluation of implementation, and collaboration with clinicians and dietitians. Findings from this work may directly inform neonatal nutrition policy and future national guidelines.