Developmental Care Flashcards
7 cards from real RNC-NIC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Developmental Care flashcards as text
A 28-week gestation neonate is positioned in a flexed, midline position with boundaries. Which physiologic benefit does this position primarily promote?
Answer: Neuromuscular development and tone regulation
Flexed midline positioning with boundaries mimics the intrauterine environment, promoting appropriate neuromuscular development and tone regulation in preterm neonates.
The NICU team is implementing a clustered care protocol. What is the primary developmental rationale for grouping care activities?
Answer: To allow for longer uninterrupted sleep and rest cycles
Clustering care minimizes repeated disturbances, allowing the preterm infant to experience longer uninterrupted sleep and rest cycles critical for brain development.
A nurse observes a 30-week neonate displaying finger splaying, arching, and hiccupping during a feeding attempt. These cues are BEST interpreted as:
Answer: Stress or disengagement cues
Finger splaying, arching, and hiccupping are stress/disengagement cues indicating the infant is overwhelmed and needs a pause or cessation of stimulation.
Kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) has been shown to have which of the following effects on preterm neonates?
Answer: Improved thermoregulation and breastfeeding rates
Kangaroo care stabilizes thermoregulation via maternal body heat and promotes breastfeeding by increasing milk production and infant readiness to feed.
When assessing a preterm infant's sleep state for developmental care planning, which state is MOST conducive to learning and social interaction?
Answer: Quiet alert state
The quiet alert state is optimal for learning and social interaction as the infant is awake, calm, and receptive to environmental stimuli.
A family asks why their 26-week infant's incubator is covered with a blanket. The BEST developmental care rationale the nurse should provide is:
Answer: Reducing light exposure supports circadian rhythm development and decreases stress
Covering the incubator reduces ambient light exposure, supporting emerging circadian rhythm development and minimizing the stress response from continuous bright lighting.
Which intervention BEST supports oral feeding development in a preterm infant not yet ready for nipple feeding?
Answer: Non-nutritive sucking (NNS) during gavage feedings
Non-nutritive sucking during gavage feeds promotes sucking skill development, improves digestion, and supports the transition to oral feeding without the stress of full nutritive feeding.