A Quantitative Use of the NIDCAP® Tool:The Effect of Gender and Race on Very Preterm Neonates’ Behavior

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how the check sheet of the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program_® (NIDCAP_®) can be quantified and used in research. Using the quantified NIDCAP_®measures, the hypothesis that Caucasian male infants are less behaviorally competent while in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was explored. Participants included 42 very preterm NICU infants. Eighty-five NIDCAP_®behaviors were quantified into scores ranging from 0 to 1, indicating the percentage of time each behavior was observed. Multivariate analyses were used in grouping the 85 NIDCAP_®behaviors into three subsystems of functioning. The hypothesis that Caucasian male infants were less competent was not supported; neither were gender differences found. Contrary to this hypothesis, African American infants were identified as more vulnerable on several behaviors. NIDCAP_®assessments were easily quantified. Once the entire NIDCAP_®exam has been quantified, practice applications may involve automated development of individualized care plans.