Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) — Family-centered developmentally supportive care

The theoretical framework behind family-centered, developmentally supportive care (NIDCAP) is endorsed by research from several scientific fields, including neuroscience, developmental and family psychology, medicine and nursing. However, the introduction of NIDCAP involves a considerable investment at all levels of the organization. NIDCAP requires some physical changes in the NICU as well as substantial educational efforts and changes in the practice of care. The findings of the presented NIDCAP studies have been encouraging, and NIDCAP has been very well received by nursing staff, neonatologists and parents. It also is attractive from an ethical point of view. It appears reasonable to recommend that nurseries implement NIDCAP and investigate developmentally supportive care in different cultural contexts and with diversified, randomized multicenter trials.