title: Developmental Care in North American Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Units: Survey of Current Practices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Developmental care practices across pediatric cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) have not previously been described.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize current developmental care practices in North American CICUs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 47-item online survey of developmental care practices was developed and sent to 35 dedicated pediatric CICUs. Staff members who were knowledgeable about developmental care practices in the CICU completed the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Completed surveys were received from 28 CICUs (80% response rate). Eighty-nine percent reported targeted efforts to promote developmental care, but only 50% and 43% reported having a developmental care committee and holding developmental rounds, respectively. Many CICUs provide darkness for sleep (86%) and indirect lighting for alertness (71%), but fewer provide low levels of sound (43%), television restrictions (43%), or designated quiet times (21%). Attempts to cluster care (82%) and support self-soothing during difficult procedures (86%) were commonly reported, but parental involvement in these activities is not consistently encouraged. All CICUs engage in infant holding, but practices vary on the basis of medical status and only 46% have formal holding policies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implementation of developmental care in the CICU requires a well-planned process to ensure successful adoption of practice changes, beginning with a strong commitment from leadership and a focus on staff education, family support, value of parents as the primary caregivers, and policies to increase consistency of practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future studies should examine the short- and long-term effects of developmental care practices on infants born with congenital heart disease and cared for in a pediatric CICU.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nemours Cardiac Center, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware (Dr Sood); Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Baltimore, Maryland (Ms Berends); Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan (Dr Butcher); Cardiac Nursing, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dr Lisanti); Pediatric Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia (Dr Medoff-Cooper); Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Singer); Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Division of Developmental and Behavioral Sciences, Children's Mercy, Kansas City, Missouri (Dr Willen); and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Butler).
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sood
authors.forename: Wilma M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Berends
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Butcher
authors.forename: Amy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lisanti
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Medoff-Cooper
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willen
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003325:Coronary Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States