Trauma-informed, neuroprotective care for hospitalised newborns and infants

The patient experience of neonatal intensive care exposes vulnerable preterm and critically ill newborns to numerous sources of stress: noxious environmental stimuli, painful procedures and prolonged separation from their mothers. This early life adversity alters the infant’s developmental trajectory through epigenetic, neuroendocrine and psychosocial mechanisms. Providing trauma-informed, neuroprotective care consistently and reliably in the neonatal intensive care setting offers clinicians an effective evidence-based framework to transform the culture of care and improve short and long-term outcomes.