Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Association of NICU design on neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm neonates born at less than 29 weeks' gestation:
Mohammed Ellebany1,2, Kamini Raghuram1,2, Mehmet Kenan Kanburoglu1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Objectives:
To compare neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18-30 months corrected age (CA) in infants born <29 weeks' gestation cared for in single-family room (SFR) versus open-bay NICUs.
Methods:
In this retrospective cohort study, infants born <29 weeks' gestation were admitted to a tertiary NICU that transitioned from an open-bay to an SFR design. Two eras were compared: open-bay (2010-2014) and SFR (2015-2019). The primary outcome was significant neurodevelopmental impairment (sNDI) at 18-30 months CA. Multivariable regression adjusted for potential confounders.
Results:
Of 1589 eligible infants, 1017 completed follow-up (471 open-bay, 546 SFR). Infants in SFRs had lower odds of sNDI (unadjusted OR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48-0.94; adjusted OR 0.51; 95% CI, 0.34-0.76). The open-bay group also had higher rates of hearing loss requiring amplification, retinopathy of prematurity, and mortality before discharge.
Conclusions:
Care in SFR NICUs was associated with improved neurodevelopmental outcomes and fewer complications compared with open-bay care.
