Development of a neonatal intensive care nursery resuscitation and triage team: impact on nursing care and infant outcome.

The admission and initial stabilization of an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit pose a time of increased stress for the neonate as well as the caregivers. Constant observation by nursing personnel is critical so that major physiologic and anatomic changes that naturally occur do not compromise the neonate during this time of extrauterine adjustment. Continuous reassessment of temperature, respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, color, tone, and behavior during the initial four-hour postnatal period is crucial for the infant's survival and the preservation of an intact central nervous system and cardiopulmonary function. The complexity of the admission process should not jeopardize the nursing care of other infants in a busy neonatal intensive care unit. We developed a framework that separates bedside nursing activities from the resuscitation and admission process that ensures the infant's transition to the nursery is met with urgency and consistency without subjecting the remaining infants to a decreased level of care.