Developmentally supportive care in the newborn intensive care unit: early intervention in the community

The traditional focus of hospital nurses on the medical concerns of infants and toddlers is expanding to encompass the more global view that integrates the developmental level of each infant/toddler into the nursing care plan. Research on early brain development has supported the focus on developmentally supportive care in the NICU. Nursing support of the early relationship between infant and parent that will influence the infant's future development is part of this process. The integration of developmental care concepts including family-centered care that begins on admission to the NICU may continue into the process of discharge and transition to home. The nurse is in an excellent position to support the family in naming their concerns, their strengths, and the hopes and dreams they have for their infant. Nurses in the NICU, home care, community, and public health increasingly focus on a developmental perspective in their work but will be continually challenged to increase their knowledge and understanding of developmental milestones, neurodevelopmental assessment, and their role in collaborating with the wider world of early intervention. This collaboration includes the health care system, the educational system, and the social service system as equal players. For some nurses, this will be a new experience whereby the responsibility for the child is shared among members of an interdisciplinary team that includes the parents. Nurses are key to providing developmentally supportive care and working collaboratively on behalf of the infants and toddlers and their families.