The implementation of developmental care in South Africa seems problematic. As an effective care approach, developmental care (DC) reduces short- and long-term sequelae for pre-term and sick infants. This study therefore investigates and documents how DC can be implemented successfully in a South African context. The research design chosen, intervention design and development, has six phases: problem analysis and project planning, information gathering and synthesis, design, implementation, evaluation and advanced development, and dissemination. The sixth phase fell outside this study’s scope. Phase One, problem analysis and project planning, involved analysing and describing the level of DC practiced at the research site before implementation, and planning the implementation of DC in a South African public NICU. Planning involved consulting relevant literature and the multidisciplinary team of the NICU. Phase Two, information gathering and synthesis, consisted of identifying the factors involved in DC implementation from national and international examples of such implementation in neonatal intensive care. These factors were derived from available literature and other resources, including institutions where DC and kangaroo-mother care have been implemented, to provide a contextual framework for the intervention plan. The intervention plan for DC implementation at the research site was designed in Phase Three, based on the information gathered in Phase Two. The plan consisted of descriptive representations of the realities of clinical practice combined with applicable theoretical perspectives on the practice of DC. Guidelines for implementing DC were established as part of the plan. Phase Four involved the execution of the intervention plan in a South African public NICU, with participation from members of the multidisciplinary team. The intervention plan was refined and developed further in Phase Five, through monitoring and evaluating DC principles in the NICU. The guidelines were validated by an expert group. The study used Lincoln and Guba’s model (1985: 305) to ensure trustworthiness. No experimental and control groups were used as DC was implemented uniformly in the NICU, with all infants receiving this care. Harm or damage to research participants were not expected, as DC implementation benefits them and improves their working environment. Confidentiality was ensured for all participants and institutions involved. Informed consent for participation was obtained from individual members of the multidisciplinary team. Clearance was obtained from the ethics committee of the University of Pretoria, and institutional consent was obtained from the necessary organisations. This intervention study targeted the multidisciplinary team where medical, nursing, allied health profession and non-medical support personnel were involved in implementing DC. Phase One’s targets and goals included improving the quality of care rendered at the research setting, reducing developmental delays for preterm and sick infants and improved the working environment for the multidisciplinary team. Personnel targets were increasing the staffs’ knowledge and skills, and improving staff morale and job satisfaction. These targets and goals were achieved. / Thesis (PhD (Nursing Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Nursing Science / unrestricted

The early assistance to the newborn presenting oral motor sensorial system dysfunction conveys to the sucking development prevents the compromising of his nutrition. The aim of this study was to determine the criteria to the introduction of feeding through mouth and its possible correlation to the preterm infant from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University Hospital of Santa Maria. A total of 32 preterm infants were enrolled in this study. Inclusion criteria were: gestational age under 37 weeks, the condition of being clinically stable, discharging the need of mechanical respiratory assistance, the absence of neurological problem neither alteration that could interfere in the oral function development it was also necessary to present the conditions to introduce the oral feeding. Concerning legal representation, informed consent was obtained from parents and/or legal representation. This study was approved by Federal University of Santa Maria research ethical committee. The speech-language evaluation included the data collection from the patient s file; regarding: way of delivering, gender, birth weight, gestational age and appropriate weight for sizing, chronological age, weight in the specific date, physical pattern, respiratory assistance, heart and respiratory rate, behavior state, oral reflections, oral motor sensorial characteristics. Aspects of non-nutritive and nutritive sucking were also considered, such as: number of sucking in the first three burst, time of sucking, time of pauses among the sucking burst, strength and rhythm; besides the swallowed volume throughout the feeding and its length. The results were analyzed at the STATA program version 5.0 (1998) using the parametric test Variance ANOVA and non parametric test of Mann-Whitney beyond chisquare analysis and Spearman s correlation with the value of p lower that 0,05. The results showed that the medical team uses the 34 weeks post conception age, weight about 1700g and clinically stable at the moment of their transition from tube to bottle feeds. The analysis pointed to the need of the existence of searching, sucking and swallow reflexes so that the preterm infant can be allowed to perform the non-nutritive and nutritive sucking presenting strength and rhythm Furthermore, significant differences were found in fast rhythm of sucking because it s allows organized sucking and guarantee the efficient ingestion of liquid. / A assistência precoce ao recém-nascido com alterações no sistema sensório-motor oral possibilita o desenvolvimento da sucção e evita o comprometimento de sua nutrição. Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo verificar os critérios médicos e fonoaudiológicos, e suas possíveis correlações, para a liberação da alimentação por via oral para recém-nascidos pré-termo (RNPT) da Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal do Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria (HUSM UFSM). O grupo de estudo foi composto por 32 RNPTs, com idade gestacional menor que 37 semanas, clinicamente estáveis, sem uso de ventilação mecânica, sem alterações neurológicas ou alterações que pudessem interferir no desempenho das funções orais, e que tivessem liberação médica para iniciar a alimentação por via oral. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. A inclusão dos RNPTs na pesquisa deu-se mediante o consentimento livre e esclarecido dos pais e/ou responsáveis legais, expresso em termo elaborado com base na Resolução MS 196/96. A avaliação fonoaudiológica incluiu a coleta de dados oriundos do prontuário do paciente ou da mãe com relação a tipo de parto, sexo, peso de nascimento, idade gestacional e adequação quanto ao tamanho, bem como a observação das condições do RNPT no momento da avaliação, incluindo idade gestacional corrigida, idade cronológica, peso no dia da avaliação, padrão corporal, assistência respiratória, freqüência cardíaca e respiratória, estado comportamental, reflexos orais, características do sistema sensório-motor oral, sucção não-nutritiva e sucção nutritiva, considerando-se aspectos relacionados ao número de sucções nos três primeiros blocos, tempo de sucção, tempo de pausa entre os blocos, grau de força e ritmo das sucções, além do volume ingerido durante a SN e a duração da mamada. Os resultados foram analisados no programa STATA, versão 5.0 (1998); foi utilizado o teste paramétrico de Variância ANOVA, não-paramétrico de Mann-Whitney e Qui-quadrado; o coeficiente de correlação utilizado foi o de Spearman, com nível de significância de p<0,05. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a equipe médica utiliza como parâmetros para liberar a alimentação por VO a idade gestacional corrigida de 34 semanas, o peso em torno de 1.700 g e a estabilidade clínica do RN. Os resultados obtidos apontam para a necessidade de o RN apresentar os três reflexos orais de busca, sucção e deglutição, para que possa desempenhar a sucção não-nutritiva e nutritiva com força e ritmo. Além disso, verificou-se que foi estatisticamente significativo o ritmo rápido de sucção, o qual apresenta padrão de sucção mais organizado, garantindo a ingestão de líquidos de modo eficiente.