[Implementation of an individualized program of sustained development in neonatal intensive care: why, how?]

The Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) is based upon a behavioral observation of the premature newborn. The information is used for suggesting individualized caregiving and environmental changes. The role of the parents in supporting the development is reinforced. This program appears to reduce ventilation, artificial feeding and hospitalization stay length, and is also found to improve neurobehavioral maturation. Its setting in a neonatal intensive care unit implies a collective reflective process and staff education.