Planning a developmentally appropriate neonatal intensive care unit

Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are now being redesigned in the wake of growing evidence that the physical environment of the NICU has a profound impact on all who live and work there. These new units reflect the universal trend of bringing families directly into the center of the medical care team. More than ever,such projects are bound to change how staff care for babies, how families interact with babies, how staff and families interact with one another, and how staff interact among themselves. When a NICU decides that a more developmentally appropriate environment should be initiated, the question of funding and obtaining other resources inevitably arises. This chapter identifies the essential components that should be included when planning to seek investments in NICU facilities.