Unit name
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Patient population
Neonates – Premature & High-Risk (Level 2-3 patient acuity level)
Mixed gender
Hours of operation
24 hours/ 7 days per week
Number of beds
40
Occupancy Rate
100%
Staff categories
Registered Nurse
Unit Assistant (Ward Clerk/Interpreter)
Patient Care Technician
Primary patient diagnoses
Term & preterm infants from 24-weeks gestation (500g) requiring ventilation, administration of surfactant, Inotropes, Nitric oxide.
Neonates with a variety of cardiac conditions and other congenital anomalies, respiratory distress syndrome, persistent pulmonary hypertension, transient tachypnea, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, meconium aspiration, sepsis, apnea, inborn errors of metabolism, narcotizing enterocolitis, jaundice, asphyxia, birth traumas, pre and post surgeries.
Procedures
Routine and Emergency Patient Care
Physical assessment and gestational age determination
Invasive monitoring – UAC, UVC, CV and radial artery lines
Non-invasive cardiac, respiratory, BP & oxygen saturation monitoring
Ventilation (regular and oscillatory)
Maintenance of neutral thermal zone
IV Therapy, TPN, Lipid, blood and blood product administration
Blood sampling (capillary, venous, arterial)
Calculation of medication dosages by body weight
Calculation of intake and output by body weight
Phototherapy, Isolation procedures
Exchange Transfusions
Lumbar punctures
Chest tube insertion and management
Oxygen administration
Nasogastric lavage and gavage
Unit dose medication administration
Work-up for chromosomal, genetic, metabolic disorders, etc
Promotion of Breastfeeding
Falls Prevention Programme
Wound, Skin Care, Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Pain Management
Quadramed Electronic Medical Records
Family Education
Nursing care Delivery system
Total Patient Care in a Partnership Model