Single-Room Neonatal Intensive Care: State of the Practice

Of the many challenges facing professionals who practice in neonatal intensive care in the United States, the question of what type of facility is optimal has been debated for more than a decade. We have attempted to explore this question at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. The purpose of this article is to briefly summarize our work and other significant research findings regarding neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) room design. At this time, the single-room NICU is comparable, and possibly superior, to the open-bay NICU with the caveat that the on-going developmental needs of the neonate must be continuously assessed and appropriate interventions applied in their on-going NICU care.