Introduction of Stricter Rules for Visitors at the NICU, Essay Example

To: Joe Blue, Nursing Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

From: Maria de Ville, NREMT at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Date: September 23, 2009

Subject: Introduction of Stricter Rules for Visitors at the NICU

Through analysis of the reports on the environment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as basing on the healthcare professionals feedback to their working conditions at the NICU, there has been estimated a disadvantageous situation for the personnel work connected with the baby care activities. Parents and relatives abuse their right for interacting with the babies and clutter up the necessary working space with abundance of family pictures, stuffed animals and other keepsakes which get in the way of nurses and therapists preventing them from performing their duties in the most efficient way.

As one of those directly involved in baby care at the NICU, I would suggest introducing a set of restrictions concerning the types of objects to be left around the nursery stations, as well as their size and quantity. By no way rejecting the necessity of creating a mother-child bond during the NICU-therapy period, I firmly believe that it can be done in ways other than superfluous decoration of the baby’s place, especially when the matter concerns the ultimate survival of a newborn. To encourage parental support in professional terms, it can be of use to publish a brochure explaining the intricacies of the NICU staff duties and demonstrating the obstacles which are created by excessive signs of parental care which are desirable in a nursery but hardly appropriate in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

I hope my initiative helps to reach understanding between parents and NICU staff, and I will be glad to discuss it with you at the forthcoming staff meeting.