Neonatal Care: Clinical Decision Making

This course enhances clinical decision-making skills by developing participants’ knowledge of technology, literature, service development and holistic care.

On completion of the course, you will be able to more competently participate in clinical decision-making related to the care of the sick neonate through the application of current evidence-based theory to your practice. In addition, this course allows you to acquire an understanding and knowledge of the wider political and national context of neonatal healthcare and how it influences practice.

Who is it for?

This course is for senior and experienced neonatal staff that require an update of knowledge, evidence-based theory and application to clinical decision-making within their practice area.

Benefits

The key takeaway of this course is the ability to apply current evidence-based theory to the practice of clinical decision-making in neonatal care

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Demonstrate proficiency of knowledge, understanding and problem-solving in the care of the very small, sick neonate and family, to include planning, delivery and critical evaluation of interventions.

Skills:

• Show ability to make suggestions, critically appraise and interpret recommendations for service development in the neonatal unit
• Demonstrate knowledge of current innovative equipment and technology in the Neonatal area, highlighting an adequate background and application of evidence-based literature
• Participate in appropriate evidence based decision-making in complex psychosocial and ethical matters incorporating the psychocultural and spiritual needs of families
• Participate in decision-making in relation to specific cases in neonatal care, including that relating to interventions and investigations which are delivered and critically evaluated for best practice.

Values and attitudes:

• Demonstrate the ability to enhance the quality of holistic care provided to the neonate and family by effective and critical application of theory to practice development
• Show a commitment to developing your own role within the neonatal specialist area, demonstrating an awareness and understanding of the wider context and how it influences practice.

Participants will be assessed by a poster presentation. You should select an area of neonatal practice and present an evidence-based poster on this topic which serves as a guide for care.

Your supplementary presentation should summarise the relevant issues and how decision-making was performed. You should focus on the critique of the topic chosen and analyse the relevant literature as well as demonstrate appropriate and sound decision-making.

Non-EEA students can only apply as part of a programme, not as a stand-alone course.

The course requires you to be:

• Working in a suitable practice area
• You must be a qualified nurse or midwife either in the UK or overseas.

English requirements

For those students whose first language is not English, the following qualification is also required:

• IELTS: 7.0

• Lantos, J.D. and Meadow, W.L. (2006) Neonatal Bioethics. The moral challenges of medical innovation. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
• Miller, G. (2006) Extreme Prematurity. Practices, bioethics and the law. Cambridge: University Press.
• National Audit Office (2007) Caring for Vulnerable Babies: The re-organisation of Neonatal services in England; London; The Stationary Office.
• NHS / Neonatal Taskforce (2009) Toolkit for Neonatal Services / Neonatal Standards on Family Centred care, Surgery, Transfers, Workforce, Data, Governance.

For further reading please see the course reading list on Moodle.