Premies get Unique Developmental Care at Medical Center

The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago will open the first training center in Illinois to educate health care providers about a unique developmental care approach individualized for infants in intensive care nurseries.

A June 15 conference highlighting the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program will celebrate the training center opening.

Keynote speaker Heidelise Als, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and program founder, will discuss how early intervention, integrated with life saving medical care, can benefit children at risk for developmental problems.

Research suggests that premature infants treated with Als' program need less oxygen, go home from the hospital sooner, and have improved scores on developmental tests in early childhood.

During the past six years, Als partnered with UIC to develop a center that will train professionals from other hospitals and the community in her approach. Her work recognizes the importance of a mother's womb in supporting fetal brain development, which is disrupted when an infant is born prematurely.

While it is not possible to recreate the womb, the developmental care program focuses on infant behavior to determine when the baby's environment may be stressful or too stimulating.

Specially trained health care professionals observe and interpret an infant's behavior by taking cues from the baby, assessing their heart rate, breathing, motor skills, muscle movement, emotional state and other factors.

The physical environment is adapted by dimming lights and quieting background noise. The timing of medical, nursing and other support services are coordinated with the needs of the baby and family in mind.

Emphasis is placed on encouraging parents to understand their infant's behavioral expression and to take an active role in supporting their development.

"A baby has different ways of communicating stress and comfort," said Jennifer Hofherr, occupational therapist and one of the developmental care trainers at the medical center. "Knowing when a baby is most regulated lets caregivers know how to adjust treatment."

The University of Illinois Medical Center is the 10th hospital in the United States to become a training center for the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program. There are five centers in Europe and one in Argentina.

"We now have the ability to share our expertise with other hospitals to teach other health care professionals how to implement strategies for making the intensive care unit a more baby-friendly environment," said Hofherr.

The conference will take place at the UIC College of Pharmacy Auditorium, 833 S. Wood St., 12:30 - 5 p.m.

For more information about the conference and training opportunities, call Jennifer Hofherr or Jean Powlesland at (312) 996-1747.

The medical center's Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program is funded by The Harris Foundation.

Contact: Sherri McGinnis González, (312) 996-8277, smcginn@uic.edu