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Implementation of developmental care in routine NICU practice and early clinical outcomes in preterm infants

Halyna Pavlyshyn1, Iryna Sarapuk1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics No.2, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Ternopil, Ukraine.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|April 3, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Developmental care, including skin-to-skin contact, significantly improved outcomes for preterm infants. This approach reduced infections, improved growth, shortened hospital stays, and increased breastfeeding rates.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Perinatal medicine

Background:

  • Preterm infants face significant neonatal complications and long-term morbidity despite survival improvements.
  • Developmental care strategies aim to mitigate stress and optimize the extrauterine environment for preterm infants.
  • Limited implementation of developmental care in Ukraine necessitates evidence on its clinical impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between implementing developmental care elements and early clinical outcomes in preterm infants.
  • To assess the impact of developmental care, including skin-to-skin contact, on neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outcomes.
  • To provide evidence for the routine clinical practice of developmental care in Ukraine.

Main Methods:

  • A single-center, non-randomized observational before-after cohort study design.
  • Comparison of outcomes between preterm infants receiving developmental care (n=91) and standard care (n=119).
  • Retrospective control group utilized for comparison before and after developmental care implementation.

Main Results:

  • Developmental care reduced late-onset sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, and stage III retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
  • Infants receiving developmental care experienced shorter hospital stays and reduced mechanical ventilation duration.
  • Postnatal growth failure risk decreased, while prolonged breastfeeding and breastfeeding at discharge rates increased.

Conclusions:

  • Implementation of developmental care, including skin-to-skin contact, is associated with improved clinical outcomes in preterm infants.
  • Developmental care positively impacts key neonatal morbidities, hospital resource utilization, and infant feeding practices.
  • Evidence supports the integration of developmental care into routine NICU practices for better preterm infant outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
breastfeedingdevelopmental careneonatal intensive care unitneonatal morbiditypostnatal growthpreterm infantsskin-to-skin contact

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