[Reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome through safe sleep practices]

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained sudden death of an infant under one year of age. In Taiwan, although the number of SIDS cases decreased between 1997 and 2003, the ratio for the number of such cases to infant mortality has been consistently increasing. Even though the cause of SIDS is unknown, risk factors have been identified in the literature on the subject. Nurses may help in reducing the risk of SIDS by educating parents about the risk factors. The purpose of this paper is to describe SIDS and to recommend nurses to implement the new recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to reduce the risk of SIDS. Released in 2005, these emphasize the importance of the prone position, the use of a pacifier during sleep, and the dangers of using soft bedding and of bed sharing. Side position is no longer recommended as a rational alternative of prone position. The recommendations also indicate the need to educate secondary caregivers and health care providers about SIDS.