Advances in Neonatal Developmental Care
A special issue of Nursing Reports (ISSN 2039-4403).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2027 | Viewed by 721
Special Issue Editors
Interests: pain; NICU; nursing practices; family-centered care
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Nursing Reports Special Issue, "Advances in Neonatal Developmental Care", invites original articles, systematic reviews, and protocols aimed at advancing nursing practice, education, management, and policy in the field of developmental care. Preterm and critically ill neonates hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are exposed to an extra-uterine environment that may interfere with normal brain maturation and early developmental processes. Neonatal developmental care has therefore emerged as an essential approach aimed at protecting the developing brain and supporting the overall well-being of infants and their families during hospitalization.
Developmental care encompasses a broad range of coordinated interventions designed to reduce stress and promote optimal neurodevelopment. These interventions include the optimization of the sensory environment (e.g., light, noise, and stimulation), appropriate positioning and handling, sleep protection, and the prevention and management of stress and pain. Developmental care also includes individualized and cue-based caregiving, support for parent–infant interaction and parental participation in care, promotion of skin-to-skin contact, facilitation of feeding and oral development, and the organization of care practices that foster interdisciplinary collaboration and continuity of care.
Neonatal nurses play a central role in implementing developmental care in everyday clinical practice and in supporting families throughout the hospitalization of their infant. However, the successful implementation of developmental care requires sustained efforts in research, education, clinical innovation, and system-level change.
This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that address innovative clinical interventions, short and long-term outcomes, family-centered approaches, assessment tools, education and training programs for NICU nurses, multidisciplinary collaboration in developmental care, cultural and ethical considerations, quality improvement projects, and implementation projects.
We look forward to your valuable contributions to this important and evolving area of nursing science.
Dr. Gwenaelle De Clifford-Faugere
Prof. Dr. Marilyn Aita
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nursing Reports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nursing
- neonates
- acute pain
- prolonged pain
- interventions
- developmental care practice
- neonatal intensive care unit
- systematic review
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