Neonatal nursing is a key discipline within MNCH care and
s undervalued and recognized as woefully understaffed in
many places. The same descriptors can be applied to the
medical profession members who are available to improve the
care of the newly born. With increasing awareness of the needs
of the neonate globally, the need for skilled pediatric personnel
has assumed increasing prominence. This clearly apparent
deficiency provides a strong rationale for concluding that
nursing and medicine can and should deliberately collaborate to
address professional growth and development and strengthen a
child and infant focus.
Collaboration of nursing and medicine has been, and
continues to be, dynamic and productive in the ongoing
evolution of the NRP. The NRP is the established standard of
resuscitation in the United States and is directly or indirectly
reflected in the programs of many countries. A 5-year cycle
for production of new NRP editions that now spread across 3
decades has involved collaborative multidisciplinary effort.
Nursing, in addition to being very involved in the production
of the NRP manual and teaching material, has always been a
major leader and provider of NRP teaching and management
at the regional and local level. This collaboration serves as
a model for Helping Babies Breathe as it explores implementation models
and opportunities.
International nursing and medical organizations have an
opportunity to draw closer together for reasons of their
ndividual strength and their mutual ability and effectiveness
to serve children. The International Pediatric Association
and the Council on International Neonatal Nurses,
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for
example, should explore ways to cooperate and improve
perinatal outcomes. Council on International Neonatal Nurses,International Pediatric Association, and other organizations
involved in MNCH should critically evaluate Helping Babies Breathe and
consider being actively involved in efforts that use Helping Babies Breathe to
decrease neonatal mortality and meet MDG 4 targets.