Delivering a new care model through NICU training

Máxima Medical Center is the largest medical center for the Southeast Brabant region in the Netherlands, specializing in high-care obstetrics and neonatology. Around 2,600 babies per year are delivered in its Woman-Mother-Child Center.

Máxima Medical Center was keen to create a new family centered care project that was focused on patients and their families rather than processes. They partnered with Philips to operationalize their family-centered care vision in a specially designed environment promoting privacy across the obstetrics (OB) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Since opening, they’ve seen a significant improvement in patient and staff satisfaction, and expect long-term benefits from the personalized care environment.

Our Philips Wee Care expertise helped transform the Woman-Mother-Child Center by introducing single patient rooms and the Sacred Hour (family bonding in the first hour of a baby’s life).

A staff change management program to improve cross-department collaboration and communication was also introduced.

The Wee Care Sacred Hour Program is a transformational change in providing family-centered developmental care in the perinatal areas (Labor and Delivery/Postpartum/Newborn/NICU) supporting your goals in neuroprotective care.

Goals are to promote skin-to-skin contact (SSC) during the first hour after birth in order to:

• Increase early breastfeeding initiation rates
• Increase exclusive breastfeeding rates
• Increase exclusive breast milk administration rates
• Promote maternal-infant bonding/attachment behaviors
• Protect baby from the negative effects of separation
• Involve families & improve patient satisfaction
• Optimize brain development