Kenvue releases skincare recommendations for hospitalised neonates, endorsed by IAP Neonatology Chapter

Kochi: Kenvue released its latest consensus on ‘Recommendations for Neonatal Skincare Protocols for Hospitalised Neonate’ endorsed by the IAP Neonatology Chapter. The comprehensive recommendations were officially unveiled at PEDICON 2024. The recommendations aim to provide neonatologists in India with evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for neonatal skincare in hospitalised neonates and implement skincare protocols grounded in scientific principles and empirical evidence.

Neonates in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at a high risk of skin barrier impairment due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including infection due to thermal imbalance, fluid and electrolyte loss, skin injury, and sepsis, leading to increased mortality and morbidity. These complications, however, can be reduced if NICUs have established evidence-based skincare protocols and perform skin assessments as an integral part of management.

Today, there are multiple approaches to the quality of neonatal skincare practices in NICUs that impact neonatal outcomes, including survival. The consensus intends to bridge this gap by providing clinical recommendations on neonatal skincare for hospitalised neonates.

The recommendations have been built by adopting the Delphi methodology, which incorporates views from a scientific advisory board comprising of paediatricians and neonatologists across specialties.

The recommendations provide practical guidance on neonatal skincare for babies in NICUs, including the need for neonatal skin assessment for early identification and treatment of skin problems through screening tools and risk assessment frameworks, the importance of hygiene in NICU babies through stringent hand hygiene practices, cleansing for newborns to reduce infections, when and how to bathe the baby, and cleansing with appropriately formulated wipes with mild cleansing agents. Additionally, the paper also covers aspects related to the usage of emollients in preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL), umbilical cord care, perineal care, neurodevelopmental care, skincare regimens, and parent education during discharge.

Manish Anandani, Managing Director, Kenvue India, said, “When it comes to newborn care, there exists broad variations in routine skincare practices in NICUs in India. With our latest recommendations, we aim to ensure that every newborn not only survives but thrives by providing healthcare professionals a comprehensive guide of standardised evidence-based skincare protocols.”

Dr Naveen Bajaj, Chairperson, IAP Neonatology Chapter, said, “Comprehensive care of neonates admitted in NICU is the key for their survival and early discharge. Skincare of these newborn babies forms an essential aspect of their overall management plan and is of critical importance in extreme preterm babies, these evidence-based guidelines will help in streamlining the practice of neonatal skincare , helping to contribute in improved overall neonatal morbidity and mortality, especially the extreme preterm newborns.”