This book examines the role of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and follow-up clinics in addressing the complex developmental, behavioral, social, and medical needs of at-risk infants through early intervention and medical subspecialties. It describes the necessary functional components of follow-up clinics and challenges in establishing and running multidisciplinary clinics in an area of difficult heath care financing. Chapters provide essential guidelines for determining which neonates will need follow-up care, evaluating for neurodevelopmental delays and medical and behavioral impairment and disability, and estimating how long intervention and further follow-up will be required. Chapters also discuss organization, staffing, funding, testing protocols, and coordination with other programs and care facilities, particularly early intervention and the medical home. In addition, the book offers best practices for fostering optimal development for individual infants and high-risk populations while raising standards for neonatal care and creating a smooth transition to appropriate subsequent care. Topics featured in this book include: Developmental care in the nursery. Utilizing neonatal brain imaging to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes of NICU infants. Genetic considerations in infants with congenital anomalies. The HRIF clinic organization model. Issues common in neurodevelopmental testing of premature infants. The impact of environmental risks, such as parental distress and in-utero drug exposure, to infant neurodevelopment. Follow-Up for NICU Graduates is a must-have resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in developmental psychology, pediatrics, neuroscience, obstetrics, nursing, and related disciplines.

Developmental Follow-Up: Concepts, Domains, and Methods is a compendium of papers that deals with developmental follow-up research, follow-up studies, criterion assessment variables and instruments, as well as analyses of developmental data. The book discusses the historical, theoretical, and methodological considerations in developmental follow-up strategies. Some papers review the history of developmental follow-up research from the early 1920s to the late 1980s, with some insights into future-oriented themes. The book also cites as an example the study of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on child development. Other papers address health surveillance and child development, including early cognitive development and the contribution of peer interaction. Some papers consider the experimental design and data analysis such as those concerning planning for follow-up studies that will involve finances, time and resources, as well as the career impact for the investigator. Another paper reviews the significance of the time when children in the United States received a significant amount of care from someone who was not their mother. The book also discusses the role of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development propelled by societal change in a postindustrial age. The text can prove valuable for psychologists, developmental scientists, social workers, and practitioners involved in human behavioral sciences and policy studies.

The definitive manual of pediatric medicine - completely updated with 75 new chapters and e-book access.

"National Association of Neonatal Nurses."

The most comprehensive book available on neonatal intervention, this in-depth resource gives professionals the strong foundation of clinical knowledge they'll need to work with high-risk newborns. With a unique developmental and therapeutic perspective that sets it apart from other texts on the subject, the book is filled with research findings and practical guidelines clinicians will use to promote the well-being of infants in the NICU and to involve and support their families. In-service and preservice professionals will benefit from an exploration of different developmental models for neonatal intervention an overview of medical conditions of newborns and commonly used interventions a synopsis of the functional abilities of premature infants discussion of crucial elements within the NICU environment, including teamwork, equipment, and sources of support detailed guidelines for positioning and feeding a model for family-centered care guidance on assessing behavior and development suggestions for working with infants with prolonged NICU stays tips on easing the transition from hospital to home information on following up with high-risk infants The overviews, learning objectives, and case stories in each chapter make this an ideal textbook for new and future clinicians, and the guidelines for everyday practice make it a reference professionals will use again and again as they work with high-risk infants and their families.

Understanding the referral process in Washington across different organizations provides insights about the challenges, the referrals gaps and methods used by Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), NICU developmental follow up programs, and early intervention services to serve premature and low-birthweight infants at risk for developmental delays. Very preterm and very low birth weight children are at an increased risk of experiencing academic challenge, have a higher risk of behavioral concerns, and these delays seem to follow infants into young adulthood. Studies found that of the 94% of infants referred for services at discharge from the NICU only 44% received a therapy and of those that didn’t receive services 53% were found to have developmental delays at 2 years of age. The utilization of intervention programs like NICU developmental follow up program and early intervention resources has shown to greatly improve developmental outcomes. The purpose of the project is to provide a qualitative descriptive analysis of the referral process by NICUs and NICU developmental follow up programs. Purposeful and snowball sampling recruitment technique was used, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Five staff members from four NICU hospitals throughout Washington state participated, and thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The results showed communication is an essential component though all the stages of the referral process from resources and funding to interagency/department communication for provide infants quality healthcare to communicating with families with families early and often.

The increasing prevalence of preterm birth in the United States is a complex public health problem that requires multifaceted solutions. Preterm birth is a cluster of problems with a set of overlapping factors of influence. Its causes may include individual-level behavioral and psychosocial factors, sociodemographic and neighborhood characteristics, environmental exposure, medical conditions, infertility treatments, and biological factors. Many of these factors co-occur, particularly in those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. While advances in perinatal and neonatal care have improved survival for preterm infants, those infants who do survive have a greater risk than infants born at term for developmental disabilities, health problems, and poor growth. The birth of a preterm infant can also bring considerable emotional and economic costs to families and have implications for public-sector services, such as health insurance, educational, and other social support systems. Preterm Birth assesses the problem with respect to both its causes and outcomes. This book addresses the need for research involving clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science disciplines. By defining and addressing the health and economic consequences of premature birth, this book will be of particular interest to health care professionals, public health officials, policy makers, professional associations and clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science researchers.