Article Text
Review
Early developmental care for preterm neonates: a call for more research
Abstract
Developmental care is the use of a range of medical and nursing interventions to decrease the stress of preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care units. This article reviews the theory underlying such interventions and research based data in different scientific fields, including neuroscience, developmental and family psychology, medicine, and nursing. The conclusion is that more research is needed.
- NICU, neonatal intensive care unit
- NIDCAP, Neonatal individualised developmental care and assessment programme
- RCT, randomised controlled trial
- VLBW, very low birthweight
- developmental care
- NIDCAP
- outcome
- brain development