Emotional Support of the High-Risk Infant

1. General aspects
1. The high-risk infant has the same developmental needs as the healthy term infant:
1. Social and tactile stimulation.
2. Comfort and removal of discomfort (hunger, soiling).
3. Continuous contact with a consistent, parenting person.
2. Treatment for serious physiological compromise may result in:
1. Isolation.
2. Sensory deprivation or noxious stimuli.
3. Emotional stress.
2. Assessment-signs of neonatal emotional stress:
1. Does not look at person performing care.
2. Does not cry or protest.
3. Poor weight gain; failure to thrive.
3. Analysis/nursing diagnosis:sensory/perceptual alterations related to isolation in isolette, oxygen hood.
4. Nursing care plan/implementation:
1. Goal: provide consistent parenting contact. Assign same nurses whenever possible.
2. Goal: emotional support.
1. Comfort when crying.
2. Provide positive sensory stimulation. Arrange time to:
1. Stroke skin.
2. Hold hand.
3. Hum, sing, talk.
4. Hold in en-face position (nurse looking into infant’s eyes).
5. Hold when feeding, if possible.
3. Goal: encourage parents to participate in care-to:
1. Reduce their psychological stress, anxiety, fear.
2. Promote bonding.
3. Reduce possibility of later child abuse (higher incidence of child abuse against children who have been high-risk infants).
5. Evaluation/outcome criteria:
1. Infant demonstrates successful resolution of physiological problems.
2. Parents and infant evidence bonding.
3. Parents express satisfaction with care and result.