Bonding Through Books: Enhancing Neurodevelopment and Parental Bonding for Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care

Abstract

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit started in 1989. In recent years, it has expanded its program to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to provide families with the knowledge and resources they need to make reading a part of their daily routine as young as possible. Several studies indicate the benefit of implementing this program in the NICU to increase the brain development of premature infants, increase the infant's parental bond, and decrease parental anxiety and postpartum depression. Reading is an excellent, nonintrusive way to adapt to barriers faced by NICU infants and is well-accepted by staff and caregivers. Currently, a neonatologist or advanced practice practitioner (APP) implements the ROR program in the NICU. ROR hopes to revise its site roles to include a third role that partners with the neonatologist to implement the program. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project will assist NICU infants' neurodevelopment and parental bonding by discovering which NICU position will be best suited as the third role. This DNP project also validates the effectiveness of delivering healthcare education in a team model. With positive outcomes, this project will continue to expand and develop.