The role of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in the neonatal unit

Abstract

A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an area within a hospital designed for newborns and infants born early (before 37 weeks gestation), infants with a low birth weight and/or with a medical condition requiring specialist doctor and nurse care. Approximately 1 in 7 infants require this specialist input. An addition to this, was the evolution of developmental services and neonatal therapists since the 1970s; this was due to the increasing awareness that infants and children may present with developmental challenges and special educational needs following prolonged neonatal intensive care stays. Therefore, developmental care on the NICU needs to be considered as important alongside medical interventions. There is a significant difference between the environment of the NICU and the uterine/womb experience. The role of the neonatal and developmental professionals, alongside the medical staff, such as an occupational therapist (OT) or physiotherapist (PT) is to help bridge this gap by considering and adapting the environment to promote optimal conditions to support brain development, including appropriate sensory and movement experiences, as well as supporting and coaching parents/carers to care for and nurture their newborns’ development from birth.