Continuity of Nurse Caregivers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

There is growing evidence that continuity of nurse caregivers (CNC) has an effect on outcomes for infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Using Levine’s conservation model, the relationship of infant acuity and CNC for 50 infants born between 24 and 40 weeks gestation was explored. A statistically significant difference was found between the variable acuity and CNC (F = 8.65, p = .01). Results suggest that high infant acuity is strongly related to high CNC but may be the effect of a third variable. CNC may support the emergence of physiological, structural, and social competencies for convalescing premature infants.