<b>Sleeping pattern of a newborn hospitalized in the intensive care unit: nursing care</b> - doi: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v9i3.12561

Abstract

Over the past decades, neonatal care has experienced changes with the advent of technology and the organization of different environments to take care of the newborn child. At the same time, the exposure of newborns to these technological advances, coupled with over-handling, can seriously threaten neonatal growth and development. The present study aims to identify the importance of sleep for growth and development of newborns hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and to provide subsidies for nursing care based on the conceptions found in the studied bibliography and as the result of the professional experience of the authors of this study. This is a bibliographical research with a qualitative approach. It was found in the reviewed bibliography: 15 articles published in periodical publications, 10 chapters in books, 2 thesis and 1 handbook dedicated to this subject. The study showed that the NICU environment can be highly stressful and harmful to the baby, making it difficult for the newborn to adapt to the external environment and affecting its growth and neuromotor development. In this sense, it was suggested that greater investments should be made in studies related to this topic, as well as on the reorganization of the care performed in the NICUs. Continuous efforts must be made with our professionals in stressing the importance of care focused on the development of the newborn.