Exploring Occupational Therapy’s Role in Optimizing Positive Sensory Experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Abstract

Admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a psychologically and physically distressing experience for infants and their families (Givrad et al., 2021). Prolonged exposure to increased stress and overstimulation among preterm infants can have negative short- and long-term effects on health status, growth, and development (Sathish et al., 2019). This capstone project was completed at a level III NICU in central Indiana, with the purpose of increasing awareness and education related to the sensory experiences that preterm infants are exposed to in the NICU. In collaboration with the site, the capstone student aimed to address an existing gap through the creation of evidence-based educational materials and a comprehensive assessment of the sound environment within the NICU. NICU nursing staff were engaged in an educational in-service to discuss the findings of the capstone project and ways to support the creation of a healing environment as it relates to noise levels in the NICU. Through project evaluation, results indicated a positive trend in nursing staff’s knowledge and understanding as it relates to the sensory environment and ways to incorporate positive sensory experiences. Overall, the project had a positive impact on the capstone site as all participants agreed that the information provided was valuable and pertinent to the care of infants in the NICU.