Introduction: Developmental and family centered care (DC) is a framework that aims to enhance the neurodevelopment of the infant. Over the last few years Spanish neonatal units have been working toward introducing this type of care.
Objective: To evaluate DC in Spanish neonatal units by assessing certain features of the care provided to very low birth weight infants and their families.
Material and method: Spanish hospitals attending infants under 1,500 g were identified. A cross sectional study was performed using a telephone questionnaire with 25 DC-related items.
Results: Of the 100 hospitals attending infants under 1,500 g, 83 hospitals from all the Autonomous Communities in Spain participated in the survey. Of these, 31 % had noise pollution controls, 72 % controlled light intensity, 75 % bound the infants, and 29 % used saccharose as an analgesic. Ten percent allowed unrestricted parental visits. Twenty-two percent used kangaroo care without restriction. Sixty-three percent of the units reported difficulties when introducing DC-related changes.
Conclusions: Practically all neonatal units have some type of DC activity, although in certain areas, such as unrestricted parental visits, the rate of implementation is low.