Article Review

Introduction

Sudden unexplained infant deaths (SUIDs) are one of the many risks that are faced by infants from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The sudden deaths mostly occur to infants below one year, and a cause of the deaths is not certain. Some of the obvious reasons include suffocations in bed as well as strangulation. However, most of the causes are unknown. Some analysts have found that some infants in safe sleep environment still experience the sudden deaths. A safe environment should consist of flat sleeping surface without pillows, lose beddings, or toys. Although providing such an environment reduces the chance of the sudden deaths, it does not eliminate their probability of occurrence. A safe sleep program qualityessays can help reduce SUIDs.

Article Summary

Zachritz, Fulmer, and Chaney conducted a study to determine a safe sleep program that can help in reducing SUIDs. The main purpose included designing, implementing, as well as evaluating the sleep program that both infants and expectant mothers should develop. The study was started after the death of two infants from the same region who had been in the NICU. The research employed a total of six members who were all involved in the identifying and implementing the sleep program. The method utilized in the study included communication with colleagues at NICU, examination of the existing literature regarding safe sleeping for infants, and audit practices that comprised putting the infants to the NICU. The main initiative was using infant sleep sacks, delivery of standardized discharge education, and also development of clinical guidelines to enhance a safe sleep. The discharge education was given to expectant mothers as well as community caregivers.

According to the findings of the article, before implementation of the safe sleep program, it was only a small percentage (20%) of nurses who followed the developed norms. After the implementation, however, the percentages increased to 90%. It helped reduce the number of sudden deaths faced by the infants. Therefore, it was concluded that a multifaceted sleep program is highly beneficial to patients as well as the NICU. Implementing a standardized sleep program gives the increased chance to advance the well-being as well as health of the community. Every health center that is committed to infants’ or mothers’ health should be devoted to offering a safe sleep program.

Application to Clinical Practice

The information as well as findings of the article are important for both clinical and individual application. It is clear that the population that is at the highest risk of unexplained deaths is the infants below one year. The minors from NICU are also more likely to experience sudden deaths compared to those from other hospital units. Therefore, more emphasis should be put on both expectant mothers as well as patients at the NICU. According to research, there were 487 infant deaths in Philadelphia that were all related to SUIDs. From the research, it is only 11% of the infants remained under safe sleeping environments. The research shows that infant deaths result from the lack of proper sleeping environments. If sleeping conditions were considered in this region, for instance, the level of infants’ deaths would be 89% less. Some of the factors to consider in the day-to-day operations of the health centers to reduce SUIDs include sleep environment, patients’ education, as well as NICU sectors in the hospital.

The information of the article can be applied in the development of a safe sleep environment for the infants. According to the American Academy Pediatrics, a safe infant environment should be flat and firm. It is important to eliminate any possibilities of uncomfortable sleep for an infant. The bed should have no pillows since the infant should sleep in a flat surface. Moreover, blankets and toys should be removed from their sleeping surface. The beddings should not be loose as well. Every hospital should have such a sleeping environment for infants. A child should also be laid on their back to prevent suffocation. According to the study, 38% of the infant deaths in Philadelphia were caused by suffocation, which can be avoided by enhancing the best sleeping positions and checking the sleeping infant regularly.

By checking the article’s methods of data collecting and implementation of the findings, one cannot help but understand the importance of education in clinical settings. It is only after the nurses learnt about the safe sleeping environment that they were able to implement it. It was helpful both to the health center as well as the patients. Infant education should be emphasized to enhance their health in general. Regarding sudden infant deaths, both the expectant mothers and nurses require to be taught about their possibility and how to avoid them. The nurses can use the information to enhance a safe environment of the infants in the health center. On the other hand, the expectant mothers can be taught so that they can ensure better sleep environments and sleep positions for the children after birth. Moreover, expectant mothers need to use better sleeping positions.

Once an infant is in the NICU, enhancing their heath also involves taking care of their sleep. According to Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, intensive care of children in the NICU should be a daily routine. Nurses should not only work on the medical care of a child but also their sleep program. Such practice is important to avoid sudden deaths. Moreover, fulfilling the medication requirements of a child is not helpful if their sleeping environment leads to a sudden death.

Conclusion

The sleeping conditions of infants are international concerns. It is mainly due to the high sudden deaths that occur annually. It is important to recognize that most family members do not have clear knowledge to model safe sleep practices. As a result, their infants are kept in sleeping environments that deteriorate their health. Family caregivers and some nurses also lack adequate knowledge regarding sleeping requirements of a child. It is especially critical for nurses in the NICU or parents with infants from this unit. To enhance safe sleeping practices, educations should be given to both expectant mothers and healthcare providers, as this can help reduce the level of sudden deaths.