Controlling and Preventing Errors and Pitfalls in Neonatal Care Delivery

The aim of this book is to inform nurses about the most common and the more serious errors made in caring for neonatal patients. Nurses play the largest role in patient care and their overwhelming workload may sometimes lead to errors that are, in some cases, irreversible or even fatal, putting a great deal of responsibility on nurses to avoid errors. And amongst patients that nurses care for, the most vulnerable of these are neonates.

This book covers learnings about the uniqueness of neonatal patients and common conditions that are seen with patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Factors that are predisposing and contributing factors for nursing errors are reviewed. The types of errors, consequences, detection, and monitoring for nursing errors are included. The book describes how errors can be avoided with necessary precautions, and managed appropriately based on current evidence-based practice. Recommendations for further study are also provided. This resource can be a useful tool for professional nurses, as well as nurse educators, leaders, and mentors to educate and guide their students and novice nurses.