Nursing care aimed at the comfort of the newborn in the NICU
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i2.786Keywords:
neonate, nursing care, neonatal comfort, NICU, family-centered care.Abstract
This article aimed to analyze nursing care practices focused on neonatal comfort in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), based on the latest available scientific evidence. A descriptive, documentary, and literature review was conducted using a qualitative approach and analytical scope. The search was performed in recognized scientific databases, considering publications from 2020 to 2026 in Spanish, English, and Portuguese related to neonatal comfort, nursing care, pain management, developmental care, and family involvement in NICUs. The results showed that neonatal comfort depended on a comprehensive nursing approach that included environmental control, noise and light reduction, non-pharmacological pain management, therapeutic positioning, restraint, skin-to-skin contact, and active family involvement in care. Furthermore, these interventions were found to promote physiological stability, reduce stress and procedural pain, and foster better sleep, bonding, and adaptation in the neonate. It was concluded that comfort-oriented nursing care constituted an essential dimension of neonatal intensive care, and that its systematic application contributed to more humanized, safe, and comprehensive care.
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