Optimising Neonatal Intensive Care: The Unmet Potential of Sustained Skin-to-Skin Contact in Preterm and High-Risk...

Skin-to-Skin Contact or Kangaroo Mother Care is an evidence-based intervention proven to enhance breastfeeding rates, improve cardiorespiratory stability and promote neurodevelopment in neonates. While established as a standard of care for stable term infants and increasingly recognised for preterm infants, the implementation of sustained skin-to-skin contact faces significant systemic and clinical challenges, particularly within the intensive care environment. This editorial argues that the focus must shift from when skin-to-skin contact is permitted to how sustained skin-to-skin contact can be universally integrated as a non-negotiable core practice, even for extremely preterm infants. Addressing practical barriers, such as staff training, equipment design, parental support and perceived clinical instability, is essential to realise the full potential of sustained skin-to-skin contact to optimise neurodevelopmental and physiological outcomes for all neonates, closing the gap between compelling evidence and inconsistent global practice.