This article describes recommended activities of social workers, psychologists and psychiatric staff within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). NICU mental health professionals (NMHPs) should interact with all NICU parents in providing emotional support, screening, education, psychotherapy and teleservices for families. NMHPs should also offer educational and emotional support for the NICU health-care staff. NMHPs should function at all levels of layered care delivered to NICU parents. Methods of screening for emotional distress are described, as well as evidence for the benefits of peer-to-peer support and psychotherapy delivered in the NICU. In the ideal NICU, care for the emotional and educational needs of NICU parents are outcomes equal in importance to the health and development of their babies. Whenever possible, NMHPs should be involved with parents from the antepartum period through after discharge.

Redesign of a neonatal intensive care unit is a major budget undertaking, demanding accountability for its equipment and feasibility of design. It must be philosophically based and driven by research supporting best practice. The NJCU at the Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a Level III, 74-bed unit, has made the change from a ward design to an individual-room design suitable for family-centered, developmentally supportive care. This article presents the design process as it occurred. Unique to this process are the involvement of NJCU-graduate families and the use of transition teams. Guidelines and recommendations are offered to others interested in designing and practicing in an individual-room NJCU. Outcome data demonstrate staff adjustment to the new design and practice model. A comparison of this NICU design is made with the Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design.

Objective To evaluate the relationship of maternal antenatal magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) with neonatal cranial ultrasound abnormalities and cerebral palsy (CP). Study design In a randomized trial of MgSO4 or placebo in women at high risk of preterm delivery, up to three cranial ultrasound were obtained in the neonatal period. Images were reviewed by at least two pediatric radiologists masked to treatment and other clinical conditions. Diagnoses were predefined for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), intracerebral echolucency or echodensity, and ventriculomegaly. CP was diagnosed at two years by standardized neurological examination. Results Intraventricular hemorrhage, PVL, intracerebral echolucency or echodensity, and ventriculomegaly were all strongly associated with an increased risk of CP. MgSO4 administration did not affect the risk of cranial ultrasound abnormality observed at 35 weeks post-menstrual age or later. However, for the 82% of infants born at <32 weeks gestation, MgSO4 was associated with a reduction in risk of echolucency or echodensity. The reduction in risk for echolucency explained 21% of the effect of MgSO4 on CP (p=0.04), and for echodensity explained 20% of the effect (p=0.02). Conclusions MgSO4 given prior to preterm delivery was associated with decreased risk of developing echodensities and echolucencies at <32 weeks gestation. However, this effect can only partially explain the effect of MgSO4 on CP at two years of age.

Background: Provider–parent communication is a critical determinant of how neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents cope, yet staff feel inadequately trained in communication techniques; many parents are not satisfied with the support they receive from hospital providers. Purpose: This study evaluated whether NICU staff would demonstrate improved knowledge and attitudes about providing psychosocial support to parents after taking an online course. Methods: After providing demographic information, staff at 2 NICUs took a 33-item survey both before and after taking a 7-module online course “Caring for Babies and Their Families,” and again at 6-month follow-up. Scores (means ± standard deviation) from all time periods were compared and effect sizes calculated for each of the course modules. Results: NICU staff participants (n = 114) included nurses (88%), social workers (7%), physicians (4%), and occupational therapists (1%). NICU staff showed significant improvement in both knowledge and attitudes in all modules after taking the course, and improvements in all module subscores remained significant at the 6-month follow-up mark. Night staff and staff with less experience had lower pretest scores on several items, which improved on posttest. Implications for Practice: This course, developed by an interprofessional group that included graduate NICU parents, was highly effective in improving staff knowledge and attitudes regarding the provision of psychosocial support to NICU parents, and in eliminating differences related to shift worked and duration of work experience in the NICU. Implications for Research: Future research should evaluate course efficacy across NICU disciplines beyond nursing, impact on staff performance, and whether parent satisfaction with care is improved.