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State-of-the-Art

Skin care practices in newborn nurseries and mother–baby units in Maryland

Abstract

Objective:

Skin provides several important homeostatic functions to the developing neonate. However, no consensus guidelines exist in the United States for skin care in the healthy term newborn.

Study Design:

We performed a study of skin and umbilical cord care (including bathing practices, vernix removal and antiseptic cord application) in newborn nurseries and mother–baby units throughout the state of Maryland to determine practices in a variety of clinical settings and assess if uniformity in skin care exists. These data were then assessed in the context of a review of the current literature.

Results:

We received responses from over 90% of nurseries across the state. In our cohort, practices varied widely between institutions and specific populations, and often were not evidence-based or were contrary to best practices discussed in the scientific literature.

Conclusion:

The frequent departures from evidence that occur regarding the aforementioned practices are likely due to a lack of consensus on these issues as well as limited data on such practices, further highlighting the need for data-driven guidelines on newborn skin care.

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Figure 1

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the nurses and nurse managers of the newborn nurseries and mother–baby units at the hospitals throughout the state of Maryland who participated by completing our survey.

Author contributions

SK conceptualized and designed the study, coordinated and supervised data collection, carried out the initial analyses, drafted the initial manuscript and approved the final manuscript as submitted. WCG and BAC conceptualized and designed the study, coordinated and supervised data collection, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final manuscript as submitted. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to B A Cohen.

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Competing interests

BAC serves as a consultant for Proctor and Gamble. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

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Khalifian, S., Golden, W. & Cohen, B. Skin care practices in newborn nurseries and mother–baby units in Maryland. J Perinatol 37, 615–621 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.226

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