UNPACKING THE BURDEN OF CARE FOR INFANTS IN THE NICU

Abstract

Infants who begin early life in the medicalized environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience disruption to numerous fundamental expectancies. In the NICU, infants are exposed to chronic, extreme stressors that include painful medical procedures and parental separation. Due to their preverbal stage of development, infants are unable to fully express these experiences, and linking these experiences to long-term outcomes has been difficult. This clinical article proposes the terminology Infant Medical Trauma in the NICU (IMTN) to describe the infant experience. Following a discussion of the NICU as an adverse childhood event, the article has three sections: (a) the unique and critical factors that define the newborn period, (b) a review of the IMTN conceptual model, and (c) recommendations for supportive neuroprotective strategies to moderate the intensity of adverse NICU infant experiences.

Keywords: Betreuungslast; Gesundheitsergebnisse; Unité Néonatale de Soins Intensifs; burden of care; cuidado intensivo neonatal; early life trauma; fardeau des soins; frühe Lebenstraumata; health outcomes; neonatal intensive care; neonatale Intensivpflege; responsabilidad del cuidado; resultados de salud; résultats en matière de santé; trauma de la vie précoce; trauma en la primera etapa de la vida; ケアの重荷; 健康予後; 健康結果; 新生児集中治療; 新生兒重症監護; 早期の人生のトラウマ; 早期創傷; 護理負擔.