
Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing
- 6th Edition - March 22, 2020
- Author: AWHONN
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 5 5 4 1 9 - 0
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 6 7 2 3 3 - 7
**Selected for Doody’s Core Titles® 2024 in Perinatal**Ensure you’re referencing the most accurate information surrounding nursing practice in today’s neonatal intensive… Read more

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Ensure you’re referencing the most accurate information surrounding nursing practice in today’s neonatal intensive care unit with AWHONN’s Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, 6th Edition. Developed by one of the most authoritative associations in neonatal intensive nursing care, AWHONN, this renowned guide provides in-depth coverage of the most common neonatal disorders and their management — focusing on the latest evidence-based practice for preterm infants, medications, and antepartum-intrapartum complications. Additionally, the concise outline format makes information easy to find as it highlights the essentials of each condition including the definition, etiology, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatments, and outcomes. With timely content that sets the standard for neonatal nursing practice, this trusted reference is an excellent resource for practicing nurses working in any NICU worldwide.
- Content developed by AWHONN, one of the most authoritative associations in neonatal intensive care nursing, ensures the information is both accurate and relevant
- Concise outline format provides access to important nursing considerations associated with the management of the most common conditions in the neonate
- Full-scope coverage of neonatal nursing practice provides information on families, ethics, legal issues, research, case management, the transition to home, and more
- Focus on evidence-based practice related to preterm infants, medications, and antepartum-intrapartum complications sets the standard for neonatal nursing practice
- Strategies to promote inclusionary care better reflect today’s nursing care today with a focus on family-centered care, comprehensive perinatal records, health care teams in the NICU, and infant care best practices
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contributors
- Reviewers
- Preface
- PART ONE. Antepartum, Intrapartum, and Transition to Extrauterine Life
- 1. Uncomplicated antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care
- Terminology
- Normal maternal physiologic changes by systems
- Antepartum care
- Normal labor and birth
- Puerperium: The “fourth trimester”
- References
- 2. Antepartum–intrapartum complications
- Anatomy and physiology (Baschat and Seravalli, 2017; Burton et al., 2017; London et al., 2017)
- Conditions related to the antepartum period
- Conditions related to the intrapartum period
- Obstetric analgesia and anesthesia (Davidson et al., 2016; Hawkins and Bucklin, 2017; Nutter, 2019; Tsen, 2017)
- References
- 3. Perinatal substance abuse
- Overview
- Risk factors associated with substance use disorder in women
- Pregnancy outcomes for substance use disorder associated with common drugs of abuse
- Fetal and neonatal outcomes for common drugs of prenatal substance dependence
- Childhood outcomes for common drugs of prenatal substance dependence
- Breast milk and drugs
- Preconception counseling and screening
- Treatment approaches for pregnant women
- Barriers to treatment
- Comorbidities associated with substance use disorders
- Screening methods to identify potential substance users
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Clinical signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Clinical signs associated with some drugs
- Assessment of neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Onset of signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Differential diagnosis
- Nonpharmacologic treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Pharmacologic treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome (Raffaeli et al., 2017)
- Drugs used to treat neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Standardization of pharmacologic management
- Environment to care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Discharge and follow-up
- The future (Hamdan, 2017)
- References
- 4. Adaptation to extrauterine life
- Anatomy and physiology
- Routine care considerations during transition (Gardner and Hernandez, 2016; Taylor et al., 2018; Walker, 2018)
- Recognition of the sick newborn infant
- Parent teaching
- References
- 5. Neonatal delivery room resuscitation
- Definitions
- Anatomy and physiology
- Risk factors
- Anticipation of and preparation for resuscitation
- Equipment for neonatal resuscitation
- Apgar scoring system
- Decision-making process
- Postresuscitation care
- Complications of resuscitation
- The premature neonate
- Special situations
- Resuscitation outside the hospital or beyond the immediate neonatal period
- Ethics
- References
- PART TWO. Cornerstones of Clinical Practice
- 6. Thermoregulation
- Introduction
- Physiology of thermoregulation
- Management of the thermal environment
- Summary
- References
- 7. Physical assessment
- Perinatal history (see chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4)
- Gestational age instruments
- Classification of growth and maturity
- Physical examination
- References
- 8. Fluid and electrolyte management
- Fluid balance
- Disorders of fluid balance
- Electrolyte balance and disorders
- Acid–base balance and disorders
- References
- 9. Glucose management
- Glucose homeostasis
- Hypoglycemia
- Infant of diabetic mother
- Hyperglycemia
- Transient or permanent neonatal diabetes
- References
- 10. Nutritional management
- Anatomy and physiology of the premature infant’s GI tract
- Nutritional requirements
- Parenteral nutrition (Denne, 2018; AAP Committee on Nutrition, 2014)
- Enteral feedings: Human milk and commercial formulas for term, special-needs, and premature infants
- Enteral feeding methods
- Nursing interventions to facilitate tolerance of enteral feedings
- Nutritional assessment and standards for adequate growth
- References
- 11. Developmental support
- Threats to development
- Early experience
- What is developmental care?
- Operationalizing developmental care
- Developmentally supportive environment
- Developmental care practices
- Parent support and involvement (Papile and Spruill-Turnage, 2017; Pineda et al., 2018)
- Teamwork and continuity of care (Spruill and Heaton, 2015)
- References
- 12. Pharmacology
- Principles of pharmacology
- Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacokinetics
- Medication categories
- Nursing implications for medication administration in the neonate
- References
- 13. Laboratory testing in the NICU
- Laboratory testing in the NICU
- Laboratory specimen collection best practices
- Laboratory test interpretation principles
- Principles of test utilization
- Laboratory interpretation—decision tree
- Laboratory testing—iatrogenic sequelae and preventive strategies
- Decision questions to ask before obtaining a laboratory test
- References
- 14. Radiologic evaluation
- Basic concepts
- Terminology
- X-ray views commonly used in the newborn infant (fig. 14.1)
- Risks associated with radiographic examination in the neonate
- Approach to interpreting an x-ray
- Respiratory system
- Pulmonary parenchymal disease
- Pulmonary air leaks
- Miscellaneous causes of respiratory distress
- Thoracic surgical problems
- Cardiovascular system
- Gastrointestinal system
- Skeletal system
- Indwelling lines and tubes
- Diagnostic imaging
- References
- 15. Common invasive procedures
- Airway procedures
- Circulatory access procedures
- Blood sampling procedures
- Miscellaneous procedures
- Simulation
- References
- 16. Pain assessment and management
- Definition of pain
- Neonatal intensive care unit procedures that cause pain
- Postoperative pain
- Physiology of acute pain in preterm neonates
- Standards of practice
- Pain assessment
- Pain assessment instruments
- Echelle douleur inconfort nouveau-né, neonatal pain and discomfort scale (EDIN) (Debillon et al., 2001) (fig. 16.3)
- Nursing care of the infant in pain
- Pain management at end of life
- Parents’ role in pain assessment and management
- References
- 17. Families in crisis
- Grief
- Interventions for facilitating crisis resolution
- Interventions for facilitating grief resolution
- Interventions for parents experiencing a perinatal loss
- References
- 18. Patient safety
- Domain one—culture
- Structured effective methods of communication
- Domain two—learning system
- Core value of the framework: Parent/family engagement
- References
- 19. Discharge planning and transition to home
- Introduction
- General principles
- Health care trends
- Individualized discharge criteria for the infant and family
- Parenting in the NICU and after discharge
- Discharge preparation and process for all NICU infants
- Additional considerations for discharge of infants with complex medical needs (table 19.1)
- Family and infant care postdischarge (box 19.9)
- References
- 20. Genetics: From bench to bedside
- Basic genetics
- Chromosomal defects
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Postnatal testing
- Human genome project
- Genetic counseling
- Newborn care
- References
- 21. Intrafacility and interfacility neonatal transport
- Historical aspects
- Philosophy of neonatal transport
- Intrafacility neonatal transport (AAP, 2007, 2016; Demmons and James, 2008; National Association of Neonatal Nurses, 2010a)
- Interfacility neonatal transport
- Transport equipment (Gershanik, 2006; Orlando et al., 2007)
- Neonatal transport process (AAP, 2007, 2016; NANN, 2010a)
- Documentation
- Safety (AAP, 2016; CAMTS, 2018; Levick, 2010)
- Disaster preparation (AAP, 2016; Gershanik, 2006; Orlando et al., 2007)
- Air transport considerations
- Legal and ethical considerations
- Quality management (CAMTS, 2018; NANN, 2010a, GAMUT, 2019)
- References
- 22. Care of the extremely low birth weight infant
- Overview
- Epidemiology (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017; March of Dimes, 2018)
- Mortality and morbidity (Eichenwald, 2018; Revenis, 2016; Stoll et al., 2015)
- Perinatal management (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], 2017)
- Perinatal consultation (Cummings and Committee on Fetus and Newborn, 2015)
- Antenatal steroids
- Timing of umbilical cord clamping after birth (ACOG, 2017; AAP, 2017; AAP and American Heart Association [AHA], 2016)
- Delivery room care specific to ELBW infants
- Thermoregulation (see chapter 6) (AAP and ACOG, 2017; Eichenwald, 2018)
- Ventilatory practices in the delivery room (AAP and AHA, 2016)
- Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit
- Vascular access (see chapter 15)
- Skin care (see chapter 36)
- Assisted ventilation (see chapter 26)
- Nutritional management (Dell, 2019; Poindexter and Martin, 2019) (see chapters 8 and 10)
- Management and prevention of infection (Esper, 2019) (see chapter 32)
- Neurosensory complications (Papageorgiou et al., 2016)
- Developmental interventions (Eichenwald, 2018) (see chapter 11)
- End-of-life care (AAP and ACOG, 2017)
- Future directions
- References
- 23. Care of the late preterm infant
- Gestational age assessment (see chapter 7) (Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Trotter, 2019)
- Respiratory (see chapters 24 and 25) (Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Thermoregulation issues (see chapter 6) (Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Hypoglycemia (see chapter 9) (Blackburn, 2018; Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Sepsis (see[xml:space="preserve"]chapter 32) (Blackburn, 2018; Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018)
- Hyperbilirubinemia (see[xml:space="preserve"]chapter 29) (Blackburn, 2018; Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Feeding difficulties (see chapter 10) (Evans et al., 2019; Holditch-Davis et al., 2017; Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Neurologic development (see chapter 34) (Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018; Woythaler, 2019)
- Parent education and support (see chapters 17 and 19) (Holditz-Davis et al., 2017; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Discharge criteria (Mohan and Jain, 2018; Williams and Pugh, 2018)
- Long-term outcome (Woythaler, 2019)
- References
- PART THREE. Pathophysiology: Management, and Treatment of Common Disorders
- 24. Respiratory distress
- Lung development
- Physiology of respiration
- Respiratory disorders
- Pulmonary air leaks (pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, pneumopericardium, pulmonary interstitial emphysema)
- Pulmonary hypoplasia
- Pulmonary hemorrhage
- Other causes of respiratory distress
- References
- 25. Apnea
- Definitions of apnea (table 25.1)
- Types of apnea
- Pathogenesis of apnea in the premature infant
- Causes of apnea (table 25.2)
- Evaluation for apnea
- Management techniques
- Home monitoring
- References
- 26. Assisted ventilation
- Physiology
- Treatment modalities
- Nursing care of the patient requiring respiratory support or conventional mechanical ventilation
- High-frequency ventilation
- Nursing care during therapy
- Medications used during ventilation therapy
- Weaning from conventional ventilation
- Interpretation of blood gas values
- References
- 27. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- ECMO: A historical perspective
- Common neonatal ECMO pathophysiology
- Criteria for use of ECMO
- ECMO perfusion techniques
- Circuit components and additional devices
- Physiology of extracorporeal circulation
- Care of the infant requiring ECMO
- Post-ECMO care
- Parental support
- Follow-up and outcome
- References
- 28. Cardiovascular disorders
- Cardiovascular embryology and anatomy
- Congenital heart defects
- Risk assessment and approach to diagnosis of cardiac disease
- Defects with increased pulmonary blood flow (table 28.6)
- Obstructive defects with pulmonary venous congestion (see table 28.6)
- Obstructive defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow (see table 28.6)
- Mixed defects
- Congestive heart failure
- Postoperative cardiac management
- Postoperative disturbances
- References
- 29. Gastrointestinal disorders
- Gastrointestinal embryonic development
- Functions of the gastrointestinal tract
- Assessment of the gastrointestinal system
- Abdominal wall defects (O’Connell et al., 2016; Raymond et al., 2018)
- Obstructions of the gastrointestinal tract
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (Fidanza and Sables-Baus, 2019; Hagen and Skelley, 2019; Kim and Claud, 2019; Yanowitz et al., 2019)
- Short-bowel syndrome (Chandra and Kesavan, 2018; Mayer and Kerner, 2017; Norsa et al., 2019)
- Biliary atresia (Bezerra et al., 2018; Siddiqui and Ahmad, 2019; Wehrman et al., 2019)
- Cholestasis (Ananth, 2018; Moreira-Silva et al., 2019; Pandita et al., 2018)
- Gastroesophageal reflux (Gulati and Jadcherla, 2019; Janek et al., 2019)
- Multisystem disorders with gastrointestinal involvement (Achour et al., 2018)
- References
- 30. Endocrine disorders
- The endocrine system
- Pituitary gland disorders
- Thyroid gland disorders
- Adrenal gland disorders
- Sexual development
- Disorders of sexual development (Mccann-Crosby and Sutton, 2015; Mcnamara et al., 2017; Shnorhavorian and Fechner, 2018; Stokowski, 2014)
- Pancreas
- References
- 31. Hematologic disorders
- Development of blood cells
- Coagulation
- Anemia
- Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation
- Thrombocytopenia
- Polycythemia
- Inherited bleeding disorders
- Transfusion therapies
- Evaluation by complete blood cell count
- References
- 32. Infectious diseases in the neonate
- Transmission of infectious organisms in the neonate
- Risk factors
- Diagnosis and treatment
- Neonatal septicemia
- Infection with specific pathogens
- Infection control
- References
- 33. Renal and genitourinary disorders
- Overview
- Fetal development of the kidney
- Development of the bladder and urethra (Vogt and Springel, 2020)
- Renal function
- Renal anatomy
- Regulation of postnatal renal hemodynamics (Solhaug and Jose, 2017)
- Clinical evaluation of renal and urinary tract disease
- Laboratory evaluation of renal function (table 33.1)
- Radiographic evaluation (Gimpel et al., 2018; Vogt and Springel, 2020)
- Acute kidney injury (table 33.2)
- Renal tubular acidosis
- Developmental renal abnormalities
- Disorders of the genitalia
- References
- 34. Neurologic disorders
- Anatomy of the neurologic system (Blackburn, 2018; Moore et al., 2012; Volpe, 2018)
- Physiology of the neurologic system (Blackburn, 2018; Mclean et al., 2012; Volpe, 2018; Yager, 2012)
- Neurologic assessment (Blackburn, 2018; Rennie and Huertas-Ceballos, 2015; Volpe, 2018)
- Neural tube defects (NTDs)
- Neurologic disorders
- Intracranial hemorrhages
- Seizures (Piña-garza and James, 2013; Porsors et al., 2016; Scher, 2012, 2013)
- Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (Laptook, 2012; Mcadams and Traudt, 2018; Porsors et al., 2016; Scher 2013)
- Periventricular leukomalacia (Back and Miller, 2018; Neil and Inder, 2018; Scher, 2013)
- Meningitis (see chapter 32)
- References
- 35. Congenital anomalies
- Specific disorders
- Sex chromosome abnormalities
- Non-chromosomal abnormalities
- Deformation abnormalities
- Congenital metabolic problems
- Disorders of metabolism
- References
- 36. Neonatal dermatology
- Anatomy and physiology of the skin
- Care of the newborn infant’s skin
- Assessment of the newborn infant’s skin
- Common skin lesions
- References
- 37. Ophthalmologic and auditory disorders
- Anatomy of the eye (fig. 37.1)
- Patient assessment
- Pathologic conditions and management
- Anatomy of the ear (fig. 37.3)
- Innervation
- Patient assessment
- References
- PART FOUR. Professional Practice
- 38. Foundations of neonatal research
- Research and generation of nursing knowledge
- Research process and components of a research study
- Quantitative research
- Qualitative research
- Areas of exploration in neonatal nursing
- Nurses as consumers of research
- Ethics in research and nurses as advocates
- References
- 39. Ethical issues
- Examining ethical issues in the NICU
- Principles of biomedical ethics
- Other approaches to ethical issues
- Case analysis model
- The nurse’s role in ethical issues
- Assessing ethical advisories from maternal child organizations
- Consulting the hospital ethics committee
- Summary
- References
- 40. Legal issues
- Nursing process
- Standard of care
- Malpractice
- Liability
- Advanced practice
- Documentation (Yankowsky, 2017)
- Informed consent
- Professional liability insurance
- References
- Appendix A: Newborn metric conversion tables
- Index
- No. of pages: 800
- Language: English
- Edition: 6
- Published: March 22, 2020
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Paperback ISBN: 9780323554190
- eBook ISBN: 9780323672337