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  • Consensus Statement
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Executive summary: standards, competencies, and recommended best practices for infant- and family-centered developmental care in the intensive care unit

Journal of Perinatology volume 40, pages 5–10 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective

Developmental family-centered care is evolving as an essential intensive care practice component for newborns and families. Research supports developmental care and the resulting positive outcomes for infants and families.

Study design

An interprofessional and parent committee utilized a systematic review and consensus process to evaluate the evidence for intensive care practice. Infant- and family-centered developmental care was described, practice components identified, and evidence-based standards and competencies articulated.

Results

Consensus process results included articulation of Standards, Competencies and Recommended Best Practices for Infant and Family Centered Developmental Care (IFCDC), including components of systems thinking, positioning and touch, sleep and arousal, skin-to-skin contact, reduction of pain and stress for infants and families, and feeding.

Conclusions

Successful IFCDC-recommended practices provide opportunities to integrate the family with the interprofessional team, standardize practice, and improve outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

The Consensus Committee on Infant and Family Centered Developmental Care authors wrote, reviewed, revised, and consulted on the submission of this paper. The committee wishes to thank Diane Maroney who allowed using the concept of “imagine…” statements written by parents, and parents for sharing their thoughts.

Funding

The committee wishes to thank Pampers for an educational grant that in part supported this work. This paper is published as part of a supplement sponsored by Philips.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Joy V. Browne

  2. Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Joy V. Browne

  3. The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, USA

    Carol B. Jaeger

  4. The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, USA

    Carole Kenner

  5. Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Yardley, PA, USA

    Carole Kenner

Authors
  1. Joy V. Browne
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  2. Carol B. Jaeger
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  3. Carole Kenner
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Consortia

on behalf of the Gravens Consensus Committee on Infant and Family Centered Developmental Care

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joy V. Browne.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The Consensus Committee members do not have financial, or nonfinancial, relationships with industry that are relevant to this topic.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The list of co-authors, consultants and external reviewers appears in the appendix at the end of the paper.

Appendix

Appendix

Members of the Infant and Family Centered Developmental Care Consensus Committee served as co-authors  on this paper.

Joan C. Arvedson

Rosemarie Bigsby

Robert Cicco

Becky Hatfield

Michael T. Hynan

Kathleen J. S. Kolberg

Jan McElroy

Jacqueline McGrath

Raylene Phillips

Erin Ross

Amy Salisbury

Karen Smith

Jane K. Sweeney

Gravens Founders and Honorary Coordinators:

Stanley Graven and Mavis Graven

Gravens Founder & Coordinating Chair

National and International Consultants:

Graciela Basso

Madge Buus-Frank

JaNeen Cross

Dale Garton

Beverley Johnson

Welma Lubbe

Kaye Spence

Juzer Tyebkhan

Inga Warren

Björn Westrup

Denise Zayack

Subject Matter Expert Reviewers, at the request of the Consensus Committee:

Pamela Dodrill

Sue Hall

Denise Harrison

Renée Shellhaas

Judy Smith

Diane Versaw-Barnes

Dorothy Vittner

Marlene Walden

Robert D. White

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Browne, J.V., Jaeger, C.B., Kenner, C. et al. Executive summary: standards, competencies, and recommended best practices for infant- and family-centered developmental care in the intensive care unit. J Perinatol 40 (Suppl 1), 5–10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-0767-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-0767-1

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