The purpose of this special issue of Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics is to present an evidence-based system to guide the physical therapy management of patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Two systematic guides to patient management will be presented. The first is a care path intended primarily for use by physical therapists, and the second is a care path for famil...

Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are particularly susceptible to opportunistic infection. Infected infants have high mortality rates, and survivors often suffer life-long neurological disorders. The causes of many NICU infections go undiagnosed, and there is debate as to the importance of inanimate hospital environments (IHEs) in the spread of infections. We used culture-indepen...

The general purpose of this investigation was to identify parent and nursing staff expectations regarding the nurse's role in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). A descriptive study was carried out using a qualitative approach and interviews were conducted at a NICU in the interior of the State of São Paulo. Results showed new expectations on the part of parents and professionals regarding th...

BACKGROUND The growing burden of neonatal mortality associated with hospital-acquired neonatal sepsis in the developing world creates an urgent need for cost-effective infection-control measures in resource-limited settings. METHODS Using a before-and-after comparison design, we measured how rates of staff hand-hygiene compliance, colonization with drug-resistant pathogens (defined as ceftazi...

Background: In Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the premature infant is often placed under incubator, phototherapy and with several cords and tubing connected all over body. They are subjected both to highly stressful environment (noise, bright light, frequent care related handling) and are often deprived of tactile stimulation that they would otherwise experience in general mothering care....

Parents with neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience different needs at different stages of their neonates' stay in the NICU. The needs of parents with neonates in NICU's play an important role in aspects such as the ability to cope with changing parental roles and emotions, the relationship between parent and infant and the managing of the parents' own needs. The aim of ...

Marzieh Abdolalipur, Raheleh Janani, Majid Mahalleii, Mohammad Bagher Hoseini, Masoumeh Mohammadzadeh. Neonatal MD, nursing head nurses of NICU, head of research committee of Alzahra hospital, Tabriz University of medical sciences, Iran; Neonatal MD nursing head nurses of NICU, head of research committee of Alzahra hospital, member of educational board of nursing and midwifery, Tabriz Universit...

For neonates requiring intensive care, the optimal sound environment is uncertain. Minimal disruptions from medical staff create quieter environments for sleep, but limit language exposure necessary for proper language development. There are two models of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs): open-bay, in which 6-to-10 infants are cared for in a single large room; and single-room, in which neo...

OBJECTIVE To identify the optimal time for introducing enteral nutrition to critically ill neonates. METHODS This prospective cohort study included all eligible critically ill neonates who were admitted to a multidisciplinary tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 1st June and 30th November 2013. Nutrient intake and clinical outcomes during NICU stay were recorded. The effect of...