Research continues at Children’s Hospital on premature babies
Years of technological advancements have led to steady increases in the number of premature babies who survive after being born weeks, or even months, before they are due. Researchers are now starting to look more closely at the effects this advanced technology may have on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment and the brain development of premature babies.
“This is an issue of interest to neonatal intensive care units internationally,” said Dr. William Liu, a neonatologist with The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. “We know that premature babies are exposed to the NICU during a critical period of brain development.”
Liu was one of several physicians who led a research project titled the, “Vermont Oxford Neonatal Quality Improvement Collaborative,” that combined the efforts of physician researchers and other staff from four hospital NICUs in the United States and Canada.
The first step of the research project included a literature review of hundreds of existing studies from fields such as neonatology, nursing, neuroscience, developmental biology, developmental psychobiology and other disciplines.
“We reviewed existing evidence to identify potentially better care practices that support newborn brain development,” Liu said.
Sixteen practices were identified that may allow for more optimal brain development, which may in turn lower the likelihood of developmental problems, such as sensory issues and learning disabilities.
The identified practices included concepts like minimizing direct light and ambient noise, encouraging appropriate tactile stimulation and preserving natural sleep patterns through the bundling of care practices and skilled management of pain relief medication. Several of the practices were further examined by quantitative research in the five participating hospital NICUs.
“Neurodevelopmental growth in extremely premature infants is clearly an exploding field of research,” said Dr. John Iacuone, executive director of The Children’s Hospital. “We are honored, with our peers, to be at the forefront of this cutting edge research.”
The Children’s Hospital is already taking advantage of knowledge gained from this research.
“We have incorporated techniques for sound-dampening and minimizing direct light into the architectural designs for the newer six-bed NICU adjacent to our current NICU,” Iacuone said.
Staff at The Children’s Hospital NICU also employ several of the practices to optimize the physical environment in the current unit, such as replacing noisy older equipment with quieter new models and having specific “touch times” where family members and staff interact with the babies to minimize over-stimulation and preserve sleep patterns.
Research continues at Children’s Hospital on premature babies
Years of technological advancements have led to steady increases in the number of premature babies who survive after being born weeks, or even months, before they are due. Researchers are now starting to look more closely at the effects this advanced technology may have on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment and the brain development of premature babies.
“This is an issue of interest to neonatal intensive care units internationally,” said Dr. William Liu, a neonatologist with The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. “We know that premature babies are exposed to the NICU during a critical period of brain development.”
Liu was one of several physicians who led a research project titled the, “Vermont Oxford Neonatal Quality Improvement Collaborative,” that combined the efforts of physician researchers and other staff from four hospital NICUs in the United States and Canada.
The first step of the research project included a literature review of hundreds of existing studies from fields such as neonatology, nursing, neuroscience, developmental biology, developmental psychobiology and other disciplines.
“We reviewed existing evidence to identify potentially better care practices that support newborn brain development,” Liu said.
Sixteen practices were identified that may allow for more optimal brain development, which may in turn lower the likelihood of developmental problems, such as sensory issues and learning disabilities.
The identified practices included concepts like minimizing direct light and ambient noise, encouraging appropriate tactile stimulation and preserving natural sleep patterns through the bundling of care practices and skilled management of pain relief medication. Several of the practices were further examined by quantitative research in the five participating hospital NICUs.
“Neurodevelopmental growth in extremely premature infants is clearly an exploding field of research,” said Dr. John Iacuone, executive director of The Children’s Hospital. “We are honored, with our peers, to be at the forefront of this cutting edge research.”
The Children’s Hospital is already taking advantage of knowledge gained from this research.
“We have incorporated techniques for sound-dampening and minimizing direct light into the architectural designs for the newer six-bed NICU adjacent to our current NICU,” Iacuone said.
Staff at The Children’s Hospital NICU also employ several of the practices to optimize the physical environment in the current unit, such as replacing noisy older equipment with quieter new models and having specific “touch times” where family members and staff interact with the babies to minimize over-stimulation and preserve sleep patterns.
Research continues at Children’s Hospital on premature babies
Years of technological advancements have led to steady increases in the number of premature babies who survive after being born weeks, or even months, before they are due. Researchers are now starting to look more closely at the effects this advanced technology may have on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment and the brain development of premature babies.
“This is an issue of interest to neonatal intensive care units internationally,” said Dr. William Liu, a neonatologist with The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. “We know that premature babies are exposed to the NICU during a critical period of brain development.”
Liu was one of several physicians who led a research project titled the, “Vermont Oxford Neonatal Quality Improvement Collaborative,” that combined the efforts of physician researchers and other staff from four hospital NICUs in the United States and Canada.
The first step of the research project included a literature review of hundreds of existing studies from fields such as neonatology, nursing, neuroscience, developmental biology, developmental psychobiology and other disciplines.
“We reviewed existing evidence to identify potentially better care practices that support newborn brain development,” Liu said.
Sixteen practices were identified that may allow for more optimal brain development, which may in turn lower the likelihood of developmental problems, such as sensory issues and learning disabilities.
The identified practices included concepts like minimizing direct light and ambient noise, encouraging appropriate tactile stimulation and preserving natural sleep patterns through the bundling of care practices and skilled management of pain relief medication. Several of the practices were further examined by quantitative research in the five participating hospital NICUs.
“Neurodevelopmental growth in extremely premature infants is clearly an exploding field of research,” said Dr. John Iacuone, executive director of The Children’s Hospital. “We are honored, with our peers, to be at the forefront of this cutting edge research.”
The Children’s Hospital is already taking advantage of knowledge gained from this research.
“We have incorporated techniques for sound-dampening and minimizing direct light into the architectural designs for the newer six-bed NICU adjacent to our current NICU,” Iacuone said.
Staff at The Children’s Hospital NICU also employ several of the practices to optimize the physical environment in the current unit, such as replacing noisy older equipment with quieter new models and having specific “touch times” where family members and staff interact with the babies to minimize over-stimulation and preserve sleep patterns.
Lehigh News
Anastasia Sereda makes Seton Hall University’s Fall 2024 Dean’s List.
School weapon detection system reducing arrests, infractions
