Other content tagged: infant and family-centred developmental care
The power of developmental care – exploring the mechanisms to shorten Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalisation
Developmental care is an approach to improve the care of infants hospitalised in a NICU. It includes measures to adapt the NICU environment to be more patient-friendly, foster parental involvement in care, increase oral immune therapy and exclusive breastfeeding. A new study conducted in 14 hospitals in China and including more than 1,300 low birth weight infants highlights the promising outcomes of developmental care. Most significantly, the length of hospitalisation was markedly shorter…
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Not a privilege but a right – Kangaroo Mother Care is a lifesaving intervention
Munich, June 2024 — Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a care practice that benefits not only newborns and their families but also healthcare providers and hospitals. KMC centres care around the needs of the infant, empowers families, mitigates the workload for medical professionals, and saves resources in often overburdened healthcare systems. It includes continuous and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and timely discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Definition of Kangaroo…
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Guaranteed by the state: Empowering families to know and exercise their rights
Guest article by Oleksandra Balyasna, Head of partner parent organisation "Early Birds" in Ukraine and member of the EFCNI Parent and Patient Advisory Board. Knowing your rights guaranteed and provided by the State can decrease the stress among parents of preterm babies and improve health outcomes for both mothers and newborns. Questions to think about for every parent organisation: Does your patient network know their rights and where to check this information? Do you know what to do when your…
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Neonatal care through the ages: The impressive journey of infant and family-centred developmental care in Denmark
A guest article by Sarah Fügenschuh When we imagine modern neonatal care, in industrialised nations in particular, we might think of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) equipped with state-of-the-art technical and medical appliances, the involvement of parents in the care of their hospitalised child, Kangaroo Mother Care, patient-centred treatment and follow-up care, and a relationship between healthcare professionals and parents at eye level. If one were to imagine a NICU in Denmark to be like this, one would not be…
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Putting the preterm infant in the centre of all care: Impressions from Erasmus Hospital, Brussels
Guest article by Lívia Nagy Bonnard, founding member of “Melletted a helyem Egyesület” – “Right(s) Beside You Association” in English – and a member of the Parent, Patient and Public Advisory Board of the European Standards of Care for Newborn Health (ESCNH). During each NICU visit, I think to myself, “If my son had been treated here, in this ward, as an extremely preterm baby, how different – or better – would my NICU experience have been? Would there have…
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Good practice recommendations for term and preterm infants: A call for global cooperation
Worldwide, about 2.4 million neonatal deaths are reported annually, even though two-thirds of these infant deaths are preventable. Therefore, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) published a guidline of good practice recommendations for the care of term and preterm infants. The aim is to reduce neonatal mortality through better care and prevention of possible difficulties. FIGO supports the 2030 target of the Sustainable Development Goals to lower neonatal mortality to less…
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Research priorities for care of preterm or low birth-weight infants: Health policy
The outcomes of preterm birth remain concerning in many countries: Approximately 11% of infants worldwide are born preterm, and preterm birth complications are still the leading cause of death among children under five years of age. This is why, in 2020 the WHO convened a Guideline Development Group (GDG) to examine evidence and formulate recommendations for the care of preterm or low birth-weight (LBW) infants. The 25 new WHO recommendations confirm the pivotal…
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Examining the positive effects of family involvement at the neonatal intensive care unit for newborns and their parents
The stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) demands a lot from new parents. The physical and emotional separation between the newborn and their parents often creates feelings of helplessness and stress. Family-centred care (FCC) concepts can help to improve the parents’ mental well-being and the infant’s physical health. The FCC intervention enables parents to be with their child at any time and empowers them to care for their newborn. It also involves…
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PICAPP – An app to support the development of preterm babies
Guest article by Livia Nagy, founder of “Right(s) beside you Association” (“Melletted a helyem Egyesület”) One in 11 newborns in Hungary is born preterm. Families are caught unprepared facing preterm birth and one of the main objectives of the “Right(s) beside you Association” (“Melletted a helyem Egyesület”) is to support parents in this unexpected life situation from the very beginning in the NICU. Lack of information but also fears from inappropriate internet materials further complicate the situation for parents. The…
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Transitional care in focus: Considering the needs of preterm babies and their families
Guest article by Lívia Nagy Bonnard, founding member of “Melletted a helyem Egyesület” – “Right(s) Beside You Association” in English – and a member of the Parent Advisory Board of EFCNI as well as a member of the Parent, Patient and Public Advisory Board of the ESCNH. 30th United European Gastroenterology Conference in Vienna The 30th United European Gastroenterology Conference took place in Vienna at the beginning of October 2022. The aim of the conference was to discuss and share research…
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