The Impact of the SENSE Program on NICU

The Impact of the SENSE Program on Parent and Newborn

The SENSE program will be applied to babies receiving treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit and the effect of the application on the baby and parents will be examined.

For the growth and health of the baby, the intrauterine environment provides the fetus with protective physical barriers and sensory exposures timed appropriately for its development. These early exposures occur during sensory development in the intrauterine environment, and there are differences in the timing of development of each sense. When the baby is born prematurely, the intrauterine environment is replaced by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit environment. The sensory environment of the preterm baby includes the experiences of touch, movement, smell, sound, light, frequent nociceptive pain and disruption of sleep. The mismatch between the infant's underdeveloped coping skills and the stimulating NICU environment can cause physiological imbalance, negatively impact growth and development, and ultimately predispose to the development of long-term neurodevelopmental consequences. Although harmful sensory exposures can negatively affect the development of the preterm baby, appropriate positive sensory exposures positively affect brain development.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being in the first week of life

Exclusion Criteria:

• Congenital anomaly,
• Preterm babies who are not predicted to survive,
• Babies who cannot be followed regularly,
• Parent having a psychiatric problem
• Parents who wish to withdraw from the study