Original Work/ Final Product Proposal

Introduction & Objective​:

The topic I have chosen to study for ISM this year is Neonatology, which is a

subspecialty of Pediatric Medicine that focuses on the care of newborn infants, specifically those

that are born prematurely. Any birth has various risks involved, but premature births have a

significantly higher risk associated with them due to frequent complications and underdeveloped

body systems, making the already stressful experience of birth and parenthood much more so for

new parents. In order to combat this, my proposal for a Final Product/Original Work in ISM this

year is an electronic newsletter that will be sent to parents with a baby in the NICU. These

newsletters would be sent from the time of admission to discharge, and each newsletter will

address a topic of interest to parents, such as what to expect, how to interact with their child,

descriptions of those who will be taking care of their baby as well as their roles, and the sorts of

equipment that their child will be on, based on their illness.

The purpose of these newsletters are to make the parents more comfortable with what’s

going on in the NICU. Studies show that as the severity of a baby’s illness increases, parents

visit less often, most likely because they’re afraid of what they’re going to see. These newsletters

serve to familiarize parents with the NICU and their baby’s condition - what equipment their

child will be on (i.e ventilator, feeding tube, etc) and the medical professionals taking care of

their child. This way, parents will have a better understanding of what they’re going to see in the

NICU, thus decreasing tension and anxiety. Besides that, according to an article by ​International

Pediatric Nursing,​ parents often feel like onlookers in their baby’s life, since the baby is
primarily being taken care of by nurses and doctors. Educating parents on how to safely interact

with their new baby allows them to regain control and feel like active participants in the care of

their child. The newsletters would of course be reviewed thoroughly in order to verify that the

information is relevant, beneficial, and accurate. In this manner, I hope to make the experience of

having a baby in the NICU less stressful for new parents and more pleasant overall.

Materials:

❖ Content & information - gained from observation & research

➢ Read articles, gather information from websites, etc.

➢ Look over NICU Passport, include information from it as well

❖ Computer/Electronic Device - send out emails/newsletters

➢ Determine frequency of newsletters based on length of stay

Persons Involved:

❖ Dr. Savani

❖ Myself

❖ Any persons involved in Dr. Savani’s research / clinical team - observe and gain

information from them as well

➢ Psychologist & nurse - interview to gain information over NICU Passport

booklet and other relevant information

❖ Parents of premature infant

➢ Intended audience
Steps:

1. Determine topics to be addressed in newsletter

a. What to expect

b. Equipment specific to baby’s condition

i. Include pictures / visual images of what the parents are going to see

c. Medical personnel involved in care of baby (Meet the team)

d. NICU Passport information

e. Possible complications specific to condition

f. How to interact with their baby

g. Preparing for visits / Importance of visiting

2. Read materials over topic recommended by Dr. Savani - articles, websites, etc.

3. Gather information through observation

a. Learn more about equipment, treatments, what each medical professional does

4. Compile and organize information for each topic

5. Format into concise newsletters based on topic

6. Add images & formatting - headings, captions, etc.

7. Revise newsletters

8. Obtain email list for parents of admitted babies, determine frequency of newsletter

sending based on length of stay - average length of admission is ~2 weeks

9. Tailor newsletter for patients based on specific illness/ circumstance

a. Add specific information about equipment, treatment, possible complications

10. Get newsletters reviewed by Dr. Savani

Results:

Through sending informational newsletters directly to parents, I anticipate being able to

reach a large number of the target audience more efficiently and hopefully educate many parents

of premature infants in the local community on what to expect with their child, while

familiarizing them on what they’re going to see and what can be done to prepare. Since this

newsletter will be sent through email, I think it would be more effective as compared to a paper

booklet that most people would only read once and then throw away. I’m hoping this product

will be utilized by parents as a resource and something they can look back on as beneficial and

informational. In order to determine the effectiveness of these newsletters, after sending the final

newsletter in the series to parents, I propose sending a brief survey requesting their opinion on

the helpfulness and impact of the newsletters. In this manner, not only will I be educating others,

but I will also gain a deeper understanding of both Neonatology as a whole as well as the various

facets of the career through the research and observation necessary to bring this product to

completion.

Timeline:

❖ February to Mid-March​: Observe Dr. Savani and his team, take notes, read various

articles and gain information (Overall, gather all information necessary)

❖ Mid-March to End​: Compile information into newsletter form, revise and add images,

continue revisions & receive feedback from Dr. Savani throughout process

❖ April - Beginning of May​: Obtain email list of patients, make changes to newsletter based

on specific condition, send newsletters for a month to patients based on length of stay
❖ End of April / Beginning of May​: Obtain information on usefulness of newsletters -

include survey at end of newsletter series?

❖ May 14th​: Final Presentation Night