Neonatal nursing in the COVID-19 pandemic: can we improve the future?

Abstract

The current 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the world's largest and most pervasive public health emergency in more than one hundred years. Although neonatal units have not been at the epicentre of the current health crisis, they have also been forced to adopt contingency plans with the aim of protecting hospitalised neonates, their families, and professionals. Neonatal units have been forced to alter the neonatal care framework based on promoting neurodevelopment and family-centred care. The peak of the pandemic is falling in most countries, but COVID-19 infection is not eradicated and there is uncertainty about new outbreaks. It is time to reflect about better strategies to preserve the rights and excellence of care for newborns and their families. This column will highlight the changes that have occurred in neonatal units, and their impact on neonatal care and families. It is a time for critical reflection on nursing practice.

Karakteristik Covid-19 pada Anak

“…Peran perawat sebagai educator adalah dengan memberikan pengetahuan mengenai Covid-19 kepada keluarga agar keluarga dapat mengetahui gejala Covid-19 dan memperiksakan diri lebih awal sehingga penularan tidak terjadi. Selain itu, peran perawat sebagai collaborator dapat bekerja sama dengan psikolog untuk ibu yang menderita kecemasan dan stres akibat terpisah dari bayinya (Montes et al, 2020).…”

Another lesson learned: A commentary on “Montes et al. (2020) neonatal nursing in the COVID-19 pandemic: Can we improve the future?”

“…We are writing in response to your article “Neonatal Nursing in the COVID-19 pandemic: Can we improve the future?” by Monte et al (2020) . This article addresses a current and extremely relevant issue.…”

“…Consequently, they were deprived of human touch (without PPE), maternal contact (or both parents contact) in the first minutes of life, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding and contact with parents, which might probably influence their comfort and neurodevelopment as well as the development of the parental role. This aspect was identified by the authors which the impact of contingency plans in distinct areas: “ (…) organization and workflow of neonatal units, (…) perinatal and neonatal care, including breastfeeding, (…) communication-collaboration with parents ” ( Montes et al, 2020 , pg. 248).…”

Position Statement of the International Network for Child and Family Centered Care: Child and Family Centred Care during the COVID19 Pandemic

“…These burdens required changes and adaptations while ensuring continuity of care for children and their families. It has been recommended that adaptations to health care systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic requires input from experts, clinicians, and clients for more comprehensive and inclusive delivery of care (Montes & Herranz-Rubia, 2020). As an international group, the INCFCC is working to highlight the challenges for children and families in accessing health care due to the COVID-19 policy restrictions.…”