Safe Sleep Practices

Study one. Like my current unit, the NICU in this study had no hospital-based neonatal safe sleep program. The data they collected during preintervention, using random unit audits, showed that on average their nursing staff were modeling safe sleep practices only 20% of the time (Zachritz, Fulmer, & Chaney, 2016, p. 49). The objective of their study was to implement a clinical and educational safe sleep program with a long term goal of reducing sleep-related deaths among infants discharged from their NICU. They used a bundle approach to design the project which consist of purchasing sleep sacks; creating a unit-based clinical guideline to promote safe sleep practices; creating standardized caregiver discharge education; and providing outreach

While the objective of this study was to increase the percentage of eligible infants engaging in safe sleep practices in the NICU, like study one, they used pre- to post-intervention audits, created a standard of practice, and used education as a means to teach their safe sleep standard. Before the initiation of their intervention, they carried out a baseline audit, to determine the percentage of eligible infants engaging in safe sleep practices (SSPs) (Hwang, O’Sullivan, Fitzgerald, Melvin, Gorman, & Fiascone, 2015, p.863). They defined safe sleep by four components: (1) supine position; (2) in a flat crib with no incline; (3) no positioning devices; and (4) no toys, comforters or quilts in the sleep environment (Hwang, et al., 2015, p. 863). All four components must be meet to comply with SSP. Web based teaching modules and in-person teaching were used as the form of education. Of the 755 cases carried out during the baseline audit, 395 were eligible for SSP. Over a two week period crib audits were conducted. Form the pre-to post-intervention period, they showed significant improvement in overall complacence with SSP (25.9 % to 79.9 %) (Hwang, et al., 2015, p.

As a nurse, it is my responsibility to understand the research literature on safe sleep practice and mirror it in my own practice. Furthermore, it is important for me to continue to search for answers to unsolved safe sleep issues in my practice either by reviewing further research or conduction my