Welcome to Caring Essentials!
Mary E Coughlin, BSN, RN, MS, NNP, RNC-E
Founded in 2010, Caring Essentials is committed to educating, mentoring and empowering frontline clinicians to transform the experience of care in the NICU for measurable results.
Does this sound like you?
You know everything matters to the tiny people you serve in the NICU
You are always seeking new knowledge to improve the quality of care you provide
You struggle to engage your colleagues / staff to adopt evidence-based best practices
You know there is a better way
Are you ready for transformation?
You would LOVE to connect and network with a like-minded community of international, interdisciplinary colleagues
You would benefit HUGELY from expert coaching and consultation to guide your cultural transformation and quality improvement initiatives
You are looking for an EFFECTIVE strategy to begin your transformation journey
You KNOW what gets measured gets managed but aren’t sure where to start
Core Quality Measures for Trauma-informed Care in the NICU
Touching Lives, Impacting Lifetimes Infographic
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines quality of care as "the degree to which health care services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." (IOM 1990)
Toxic, traumatic stress associated with neonatal intensive care contributes to socio-emotional impairment, reduced brain volumes, increased vulnerability to multiple chronic morbidities in adulthood as well as significant psychopathology. (Shonkoff 2016)
The quality of neuroprotective care in the NICU has demonstrated statistically significant improvements in short term and longterm outcomes (Montirosso et al 2017).
The American Academy of Pediatrics' principles for the development and use of quality measures recognizes that a major opportunity exists for us to make a real difference in the lives of infants and families by identifying and addressing opportunities to improve patient care grounded in our understanding of toxic stress and the human needs of the developing child (AAP 2008; AAP 2012; Johnson et al 2013).
Trauma-informed care in the NICU and beyond provides the framework to address these disease-independent yet biologically relevant needs of the developing infant (Shonkoff 2016; Coughlin 2016; Coughlin 2017; Sanders & Hall 2017).
Request your Infographic of the Latest, Evidence-based Core Quality Measures for Trauma-informed Care in the NICU
Excerpts from Caring Essentials Webinar Series
What is Trauma-informed Neuroprotection in the NICU?
Trauma-informed Care for the Clinician