Developmental Care in the Nursery

Developmental care (DC) is a caregiving philosophy that focuses on minimizing stress and maximizing developmental opportunities for NICU infants and their families. The goal is to provide individualized, family-centered care in order to optimize immediate and long-term infant health and developmental outcomes. Developmental care guides broad NICU practices and policies. From daily bedside routines such as feeding and positioning to comprehensive protocols for staff training or environmental design, the approach considers the potential impact of every experience upon a developing, fragile infant. This chapter provides an overview of what is known about developmental care: the theoretical foundation; the core constructs that guide implementation; the strengths and limitations of current, common DC practices; and the existing evidence that supports or refutes these widely embraced principles.