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Course Name
Clinical Improvement Project II CAPSTONE
Graduation Year
12-2025
Faculty Advisor
Dian Baker
Abstract
Background: Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care or kangaroo mother care, is an intervention typically done after birth to promote physiologic stability, bonding, and breastfeeding.
Aim: The Kangaroo Care project aimed to increase the incidence of skin-to-skin contact in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.
Methods: A pre-survey was conducted to assess staff comfort with skin to skin. Interventions to increase skin-to-skin rates included staff e-learning, unplanned extubation mock codes, nurse champions, and a policy change to Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento’s handbook.
Results: TBD. Preliminary results indicated use of STS in the NICU and post-results from the nurses’ survey are pending.
Conclusion: Increasing skin-to-skin care rates in the Sutter Medical Center Sacramento neonatal intensive care unit addressed critical barriers such as staffing shortages, limited space, and equipment availability. By enhancing staff support, education, and training, the NICU fostered greater parental involvement, which is essential for improving outcomes in preterm and low-birth-weight infants. This initiative promoted safer, more effective neonatal care, supported infant growth and development, and strengthened family-centered practices within Sacramento’s diverse community, ultimately contributing to better short- and long-term health outcomes.
Keywords
skin-to-skin, kangaroo care, bonding, neonatal, education, quality improvement
Recommended Citation
Wong, Bianca; Do, Katherine; Calero, Martha; and Nambala, Lydia, "The Kangaroo Care Project: Implementation of Skin-to-Skin (STS) in Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit" (2025). ELMSN E-Portfolio. A collection of Scholarly and Creative Works. 39.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/nursing-portfolios/39
