22 • 2024 • Developmental Observer them during medical examinations and procedures. NIDCAP Professionals work clinically at the cot side with parents and other health professionals, showing them their observations, reflections and supporting them to see clearly the behaviors of the baby. This enables the family and healthcare professionals to gain knowledge and skills and apply this to the care of the infant. Bedside observations provide insights into the infant’s response and needs. This hands-on learning approach is cru- cial for developing a thorough understanding of developmen- tal supportive care in our Unit. It Improves communication skills, decision making in care, and collaboration with parents, and promotes multidisciplinary teamwork in support of the infant’s development. This statement by a nurse supports our work. "Through increased awareness and understanding of the NIDCAP approach, I have been able to optimize and structure the environment, enabling me to effectively support each child with individually tailored care and nurturing. The enhanced skills have resulted in an experience of being able to fulfill my core responsibilities in a much more qualified manner." The team at Danish NIDCAP Training and Development Center, Aarhus: NIDCAP trainer: Eva Jørgensen, RN Training center director: Tine Brink Henriksen, MD, Professor, Consultant Chair, PhD Training center co-director: Tenna Gladbo Salmonsen, RN, MScN, NIDCAP professional. Contact: Eva Jørgensen; Nidcaptrainer@gmail.com Tenna Gladbo; tennsalm@rm.dk Danish NIDCAP Training and Development Center, Copenhagen The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Copenhagen was the first NICU in Denmark. It is also the largest NICU and the only level 4 unit in the Country. Our NIDCAP journey in Copenhagen began in late 1990 when nurse specialist Janne Weis and nurse Dorthe Mai were in- troduced to NIDCAP. Before then we had a developmental and family centered care group of dedicated staff who worked with family focused care, minimal touch, and early discharge. Dorthe Mai was a leader in implementing hospital-assisted home care after early discharge in Denmark. The first family in Denmark to use early discharge was in 1997 provided by Dorthe Mai and the home care team from our unit. In the year 2000, Janne Weis and Dorte Mai became NIDCAP professionals with Agneta Kleberg as their NIDCAP Trainer and mentor. A new friendship and lifelong partnership were established with Agneta Kleberg. Her dedication and contribution as a person and as a professional have had a very positive and important impact of the strategy, vision, and goals for our NICU and NIDCAP journey. In 2005, we went from an open bay unit to two family rooms with one parent bed next to the infant. It was a significant step towards more family centered care and strengthened the partnership between the healthcare professionals and the family. This move facilitated the families to be actively involved in the care for their infants, enabled shared decision-making and more individualized care plans for the infant and the family. Over the years the NIDCAP team expanded Janny Hoegh and Jannie Haaber, two nurses who became NIDCAP profes- sionals. Janne Weis completed her Ph.D on Family focused and guided conversations using a semi structured conversation form with a focus on partnership. This represented a huge milestone in the unit’s journey towards enhancing Family Centered Care in practice. NIDCAP certificated unit Becoming a NIDCAP certified unit in 2015 was undoubtedly a significant achievement and a testament to the unit’s com- mitment to provide high-quality individualized developmen- tal care for infants and families. The accomplishment was a culmination of years of dedication, hard work and support and engagement from the leadership. Without leadership support it wouldn’t have been possible. The NIDCAP Nursery Program with its 121 points is a comprehensive evaluation framework that provided a structured approach for identifying areas of improvement and setting of new goals for enhancing care for infants and families. It enabled us to recognize the units existing strengths. Celebration of our achievements, both big and small, is very important for boosting the morale, enhanc- ing teamwork, and maintaining motivation for providing high quality care. We continue to celebrate in our daily work. In 2020, the unit was re-certified in the NIDCAP Nursery Program. Re-certification is a lifelong commitment and an ongoing evaluation and reflection of how we take care of infants, families, and each other. Now and in the future. The NIDCAP Jannie Haaber RN, Intensive care nurse, NIDCAP Trainer and Director of the NIDCAP Training Center and Porntiva Poorisrisak PhD, Consultant Neonatologist, APIB Professional, Co-director of the NIDCAP Training Center DOI:10.14434/dov17i2.38132 2024 • Developmental Observer • 23 Nursery Program and guidelines will be used in preparation for our new Childrens Hospital - Mary Elizabeth Hospital- for Children, Teens, and Expecting Families for Children. Since 2015, the unit has had an interdisciplinary NIDCAP group, consisting of a team of experienced healthcare profes- sionals all working to support development care in a family centered way. The group is leaded by Jannie Haaber (RN, NIDCAP Trainer) and Porntiva Poorisrisak (Neonatologist, APIB Professional). Since 2020, the NIDCAP team has had a parent consultant, who first of all is mother of a preterm infant and also works in her professional life as a family advisor for families with preterm infants. Our parent consultant is member of the advisory board in the Danish Organization for Preterm infants and their families. Inclusion of a parent consultant in the NIDCAP group together with a parent consultant in the leader group of the unit, reflects a commitment to prioritizing the family’s needs and experiences. Hopefully contributing to more responsive and compassionate care for infants and their families during their stay in the unit. Becoming a NIDCAP Training Center NIDCAP Nursery Certification was the first milestone reached in preparation to become a NIDCAP Training Center. The designation as a NIDCAP Training Center signifies a recognition of the unit’s commitment to be role model for other healthcare professionals and a responsibility to share knowledge and expertise both within and beyond our own NICU. By offer- ing education and training our unit now has the possibility and responsibility to empower healthcare professionals to integrate NIDCAP into their own practice- to improve wellbeing, devel- opment and outcomes for infants and families. Leadership support and involvement is crucial for a success- ful implementation of becoming a NIDCAP Training Center. And luckily there has been a huge support from the leaders of the unit and the Hospital. Support to ensure resources, to ad- dress barriers proactively and to inspire and motivate staff being a part of the journey and pride of the achievement as a team. In 2019, Jannie Haaber started as a NIDCAP trainer in training and Porntiva Poorisrisak became a APIB Professional in training at the same time as suggested and supported by Agneta Kleberg. The decision to have Jannie and Porntiva work together on APIB training was a strategic move, groundwork for their future leadership roles within the NIDCAP Center. Of course, again with great support from Head of Department Morten Breindahl and Head Nurse of Department Sanne Allermann Beck who are the Medical and Nursing directors in the NIDCAP Center, Jannie Haaber is Director and Porntiva Pooris- riak is Co-Director of the Center. During the process of becoming a NIDCAP trainer and APIB Professionals Jannie and Porntiva had a very close collabo- ration with Nikk Conneman, NIDCAP and APIB Master trainer and Pernilla Stenman (NIDCAP Trainer in training at that time) from Lund in Sweden. Having supportive partners throughout the journey has undoubtedly enhanced the experience, made possibilities for feedback, reflection and provided encourage- ment to keep on. A partner in crime is very important through- out the journey to become a NIDCAP trainer and to establish a NIDCAP Center. Sharing, caring and exchange. In August 2023, we reached the milestone to become a NIDCAP Training Center where Jannie finished as NIDCAP trainer and we could celebrate having two more NIDCAP Pro- fessionals in the unit- Laerke Johanne Bager and Maria Clemenn Kaas, two intensive care nurses. The Center was officially opened on 26 January 2024, the same day celebrated with a conference day. All NICUs in Denmark and collaborative pediatric units at the hospitals were invited. There were 130 healthcare professionals from all over the country and the NIDCAP team from Lund/Mal- mo attended. With fantastic speeches from Agneta Kleberg, Nikk Conneman, Stina Klemming and Deborah Buehler the participants were enriched with an understanding of NIDCAP, architecture of brain, brain protection, the importance of keeping family together and support skin to skin contact from the very beginning. Agneta received a well- deserved standing ovation for her tremendous work, her expertise, passion, and impact on countless infants, families, and professionals she has trained. At the end of the day the ribbon was cut and the Danish Center NIDCAP Training and Development Center, NIDCAP Team 24 • 2024 • Developmental Observer Copenhagen was officially opened. Afterwards we celebrated with music, champagne, and cake. Collaboration For several years there has been a Danish NIDCAP center in Aarhus with Eva Joergensen as NIDCAP trainer and Tenna Sam- uelsen and Tine Brink as directors. Having a national NIDCAP center nearby should not be undervalued and makes oppor- tunities for support, shared learning and collaboration in joint projects and initiatives that can have significant impact locally and nationally. Already we have worked together describing non-pharmalogical approach for LISA (Less Invasive Surfactant Administration) procedure as part of a PhD project. We are look- ing forward to more future interventions or project together. Education, projects, and research As mentioned, being a NIDCAP Certified unit and a Center we are committed to being role models. In the beginning of April, the nurse leadership were the first group in the unit to complete Family Infants Neurodevelopmen- tal Education (FINE 1). FINE 1 will be an obligatory part of the nurse’s development and training program in the unit. In spring 2024, the interdisciplinary leadership, Jannie and Porntiva will make plans for FINE and NIDCAP education in the unit. We are looking very much forward to collaborating with other units and hospitals in the future. Qualitive improvements and research is a high priority in the unit: During the last year we have established group sessions for moth- ers, fathers and families which are provided once a week. All group sessions are supported by members of the NIDCAP group. There has been fantastic feedback from parents and families. A new protocol for Golden Hour, day and week has been made for extreme premature infants and a new protocol for skin-to-skin contacts for the youngest born before GA 25 weeks. We also are in the beginning of working structurally on how to keep families together with CPAP treatment at the deliv- ery room to prevent hospitalization. We begin with the latest preterm and full-term infants. NIDCAP member Ragnhild Maastrup, RN, PhD and IBCLC specialist has a leading role in our Neonatal Interdis- ciplinary Research. Ragnhild has undertaken and still does research about preterm infants and breastfeeding. In the NIDCAP group we have at the moment three nurse PhD students. Rikke Steenkjaer has focused on pediatric delirium. She and the team are researching non-pharmacologic interven- tions in line with NIDCAP principles to prevent and manage pediatric delirium in critically ill children aged 0-17 years. Inter- national PICU experts agreed on a bundle of interventions such as developing daily structure, adjusting light exposure according to the time of day, scheduling time for sleep, providing eyeglasses and hearing aids if appropriate, and family involvement. Joan Neergaard Larsen and team are researching couplet care, keeping families together. The project aims to prepare for a couplet care intervention in 2026, when all neonatal, paediatric, and obstetric departments at our hospital will relocate to the new Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital. The new hospital will have sin- gle-family rooms with the ambition of keeping families together. Mette Petersen has just recently been admitted as PhD stu- dent. This PhD project is a national intervention study aiming to support first-time fathers (FTFs) of preterm infants in early parenthood. The title of the PhD project is Development and process evaluation of a family healthcare intervention supporting first-time fathers of premature infants admitted to a neonatal unit and their transition to everyday life at home. All above mentioned are just a few of initiatives we have been or are working on. Our future goals will continuously be to provide the best possible care and treatment for infants and families- thanks to NIDCAP and the network, all the dedicated staff in our unit, trainers, inspiring people, and research. Contact: Jannie Haaber – nidcap.rigshospitalet@region.dk Becoming a NIDCAP Training Center