Sarah Coutts is a registered nurse and lactation consultant with over 10 years experience in the neonatal intensive care unit. She currently is working as a Developmental Care Specialist in a NICU in Vancouver, Canada. Previous to this position Sarah was the Kangaroo Care Coordinator of an implementation science study to improve uptake of Kangaroo Care in NICUs in British Columbia. She is part of team of clinicians and researchers interested in understanding the barriers and enablers to Kangaroo Care from both the healthcare provider and parent perspectives and creating innovative strategies to increase knowledge and practice of Kangaroo Care in the NICU. She is passionate about raising awareness of the positive outcomes of zero separation between preterm and sick infants and their parents in the NICU.
Preterm infants are at increased risk for impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes (Stoll et al, 2010). There is evidence supporting the differences in outcomes related to how we provide care to preterm infants and the effects of the environment in which the care takes place. One of the most effective ways to reduce impaired infant outcomes is inviting parents to actively participate in care activities and provide Kangaroo Care (Boundy et al., 2016; Charpak et al., 2017).
Despite international recommendations, empirical evidence, and an implementation science project focused on strengthening Kangaroo Care in neonatal intensive care units in British Columbia, Canada, implementation has been slow due to various barriers to uptake (Charpak et al., 2020; Coutts et al., 2021; WHO, 2020). A ‘one size fits all’ approach cannot guide Kangaroo Care implementation as it is a complex intervention and each NICU presents unique barriers and enablers.
The uptake of Kangaroo Care relies on the involvement of parents and healthcare providers and their understanding and commitment to the evolving paradigm shift in neonatal care. This transition requires environmental and social supports, systems level change of philosophies of care, and assistance for healthcare providers to recognize their changing role.
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