Safe sleep practices and discharge planning

The recommendation to place infants on their backs to sleep has been widely known since the mid-1990s. Upon implementation of this recommendation, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) were dramatically decreased. However since that time, further reduction in the death rates has not been evident. This literature review focused on implementation of safe sleep practices in the inpatient setting prior to discharge of the mother and infant. Evidence supports staff consistency as it relates to educational strategies and role modeling, as this is integral in parental compliance of the recommendations. Additionally, tailoring the educational components specific to parental ethnicity and socioeconomics may influence their perceptions of safe sleep and its value in the safe care of their infant.