Developmentally Supportive Care: Engaging NICU Teams to Influence Epigenetics (301)

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT

CE: 1

NCC Codes:
RNC-NIC: 4
NNP-BC: 5
RNC-LRN: 5

Main Presenter(s)

Valerie Willis, PhD, RN, PPCNP-BC, PCNS-BC

Fellow in Genomic Medicine Program Management
National Institutes of Health & American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics
Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Slides Handouts

Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships:

Valerie Willis, PhD, RN, PPCNP-BC, PCNS-BC: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

While technological advances in neonatal care have reduced morbidity and mortality, the environment of care presents a persistent source of iatrogenic stressors that may contribute to less-than-optimal outcomes in and beyond the NICU, including epigenetic change, the modification of phenotype (genetic expression) without change in the underlying genotype (genetic code/DNA sequence). As champions of developmentally supportive care in the NICU, interprofessional teams are well-positioned to mitigate stressors and promote health throughout the life course. Family-centered education will facilitate parent engagement in this important effort.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the learner will be able to:

Define epigenetics.
Discuss the relationship between stress and epigenetic change.
Identify 5 common NICU stressors and a developmentally supportive mitigation strategy for each.
Facilitate parental understanding of and appropriate response to infant behavioral stress cues.