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Community health nursing assessment of neurodevelopment in high-risk infants
Insights
This study details a neonatal intensive care unit follow-up program for infants in Illinois. Community health nurses provide home visits, focusing on infant neurodevelopmental assessments and parental support.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Community health nursing
- Child development
Background:
- Infants discharged from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) require specialized follow-up.
- Community health nurses (CHNs) in Illinois conduct home visits for these infants.
- Maternal and child nursing consultants support CHNs in assessment techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the neurodevelopmental component of the infant assessment.
- To outline the role of nursing consultants in supporting CHNs.
- To detail the follow-up program for NICU graduates.
Main Methods:
- Referral of all infants from designated perinatal center NICUs in Illinois.
- Home visits by CHNs including parental support and infant assessment.
- Consultation by maternal and child nursing consultants on assessment techniques.
Main Results:
- The neurodevelopmental assessment includes alertness, tone, and head circumference.
- Vision and hearing screening are part of the assessment.
- Primitive reflexes are evaluated as a component of neurodevelopmental assessment.
Conclusions:
- The described program ensures comprehensive follow-up for high-risk infants.
- Standardized neurodevelopmental assessment enhances the quality of care.
- Collaboration between CHNs and consultants is vital for effective infant assessment.
Abstract:
All infants discharged from designated perinatal center neonatal intensive care units in Illinois are referred for follow-up home visits by community health nurses. These visits provide parental support, teaching, and anticipatory guidance plus physical and developmental assessment of the infant. The maternal and child nursing consultants who coordinate this follow-up program are frequently called upon to assist the community health nurses in physical/developmental assessment techniques. The neurodevelopmental component of the assessment, including areas of alertness, tone, head circumference, vision and hearing screening, plus primitive reflexes, is described.