Extending Courtesy to Our Littlest Patients: Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Promote Skin to Skin for Neonatal Comfort

Background:

Laboratory services sought collaboration to increase satisfaction in the perception of their courtesy towards the mother/infant population. Press Ganey scores were used to measure this perception.

Case: This project aimed to extend the practice of encouraging skin to skin and breastfeeding to our interdisciplinary colleagues .Our facility was on the Baby-Friendly journey (desigation obtained in October, 2014) and had already hardwired skin to skin contact into our standard nursing care. A review of the literature revealed multiple randomized controlled studies and a systematic review that provided evidence that infants who are placed skin to skin and/or allowed to breastfeed or suck during painful procedures experienced a 50% or greater reduction in pain based upon a standardized neonatal pain assessment tool. The literature also suggested that babies only a couple of days old remember painful procedures and that aversion remains with them. This knowledge was translated into a training program for laboratory technicians who served the maternal/infant unit.

 Conclusion: Post intervention Press Ganey lab courtesy scores were markedly increased.