• Print This
• Select Text Size:
• Comments
• 

Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., has seen enhanced patient, family, and nursing satisfaction with the opening of its new NICU unit that houses all private rooms.

Since the 14 private rooms opened in January 2008, Press Ganey scores have dramatically improved and not a single nurse has resigned, according to Colleen Davis, RNC, MSN, NICU nurse manager.

“We designed the new rooms with the families in mind for their comfort,” Davis says.

The private NICU rooms were planned to provide neonates and their families with the most homelike and normal early-life experiences possible while streamlining complex, high-tech nursing care. Interior designers and architects provided professional guidance, but final choices about elements such as furniture, colors, and room layouts were made with the input of nurses and families.

“The staff was completely involved from the beginning,” Davis says. “It was important for the nurses to stay at the bedside, so we designed rooms so that almost all supplies are at the bedside.”

In addition, each room has a space where nurses can complete point-of-care testing, such as diaper weighing. Family-requested amenities in each room include a sofa sleeper, recliner, telephone, data port, wireless Internet service, a flat-screen TV, and food ordering services.

“The whole atmosphere of the unit is different,” Davis says. “It’s very quiet and calming, and we have not needed to sedate our babies nearly as much as we did when they were all together in one room.”

The quiet environment also helps new mothers get the rest they need while providing privacy to breastfeed or pump milk and for the family to bond. It also helps the staff to better focus on the complex medical, emotional, and educational needs of the families and the new babies, Davis says.

Catherine Spader, RN, is a freelance writer.

---

To comment, e-mail editorPA@nursingspectrum.com.

Reader Comments

You must adhere to the Terms of Service and Community Rules for Nurse.com when posting comments. Please do not post disparaging or offensive remarks. You may use links in your post.

Be the first to comment!