The rate of developmental care delivery in neonatal intensive care unit

The delivery of developmental care in neonatal intensive care units helps save neonates’ energy, maintains their physiologic stability, reduces their and their families’ stress, shortens their hospital stay, and cuts healthcare costs. This study was undertaken to determine the rate of developmental care delivery in neonatal intensive care units. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2012–2013. We used the census method and recruited 138 critical care nurses from neonatal intensive care units of nine teaching hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The data collection tool was a questionnaire developed by using the findings of a study conducted by Coughlin et al. (2009). Data analysis was carried out with SPSS v. 20.0 and by using descriptive statistics measures and inferential statistics tests such as the independent-samples t. The rates of delivering the five dimensions of developmental care were as follows: Daily routine care: 79.46%; Protected sleep: 65.43%; Provision of a healthy environment: 65.27%; Family-centered care: 63.32%; and Pain and stress assessment and management: 66.53%. The total rate of developmental care delivery was 66.53%. Developmental care delivery is not a common practice in neonatal intensive care units. Consequently, more efforts are needed for enhancing the rate of delivering developmental care. Strategies such as educating families and neonatal critical care nurses, developing and enforcing developmental care guidelines by public health authorities, and supervising care measures can enhance the rate and the quality of developmental care delivery.