Family and Developmental Care

(1060) Factors Impacting Skin Integrity in NICU Patients

Poster Presenter(s)

Marty O. Visscher, PhD

Professor, Researcher
University of Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, Ohio, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Co-Author(s)

Karthikeyan Meganathan, MS

Research Associate
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
MC

Meaghan Castellano, RN

Neonatal Nurse
University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
RS

Ruthanne Strange, RN

Neonatal Nurse
University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
VN

Vivek Narendran, MD, MBA

Medical Director - University of Cincinnati Hospital NICU
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Diaper skin compromise is the most common iatrogenic skin injury among NICU patients. It is a significant source of concern, suffering and stress for everyone involved in patient care. Neonatal nurses have always been focused on improving skin integrity, despite the considerable challenges involved with the care of under-developed skin, particularly in the most premature of infants. This research aimed to understand the factors that impact skin integrity, particularly in the diaper area, among this population to provide the basis for achieving improved outcomes via reduction in injury. The first phase implemented a validated, well-vetted, skin grading scale into the electronic medical record. Diaper skin condition was assessed for every infant at every diaper change. We describe the factors that influence the frequency and severity of diaper skin compromise for a cohort of 972 infants.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the effects of gestational age, race, antibiotic usage (sepsis), delivery mode, gender, nutritional source and amount, stool characteristics on diaper skin condition of the perianal region.
Suggest strategies to mitigate the effects of neonatal patient factors on neonatal diaper skin condition.