Developmental Care Rounds: An Initiative to Improve Nursing Confidence and Contributions at the Bedside

Purpose: To describe the use of developmental care (DC) rounds as an initiative to ensure the implementation of bedside DC. To measure the confidence of NICU nurses with participation in DC rounds. Design: Evidence-based practice/quality improvement initiative aimed to answer the following questions: What are the implementation rates of bedside DC nursing interventions used or discussed during DC rounds? Do NICU nurses report agreement with education about DC rounds prior to DC rounds starting? Do nurses in the NICU feel confident participating in DC rounds Do nurses with more years of NICU nursing experience feel more confident than nurses with fewer years of nursing experience? Sample: 513 DC rounds and 101 nursing surveys. Main Outcome Variable: Nursing survey Likert score response and implementation rate of DC nursing interventions. Results: Implementation of bedside DC nursing interventions was strong in the NICU. Areas of opportunity include developmental bath, oral care with breast milk, use of scent clothes, kangaroo care, breastfeeding, use of head plan when appropriate, assignment of a primary baby buddy when appropriate, and use of schedule when needed. Nurses reported their confidence in participation in DC during the implementation of this project.