Bottom Line: Better Care for NAS Babies

Diaper rash can become a part of any infant’s early days. When opioid withdrawal causes diarrhea and increased movement, it’s a recipe for friction that often leads to skin breakdown and infection.

Using this evidence-backed skin care protocol can keep baby’s bottom healthy and smooth.

The Study:

Title: Designing and Implementing a Skin Care Protocol for Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome to Decrease Rates of Diaper Dermatitis

Advances in Neonatal Care, Feb 1, 2022

Summary in Plain English :

Diaper dermatitis is the medical term for diaper rash. It’s a red, sore, sometimes bumpy rash that shows up on a baby’s bottom or the area covered by a diaper. It happens when the baby’s skin gets irritated by things like pee, poop, moisture, or rubbing from the diaper. It can be uncomfortable or even painful.

Many babies with diaper rash improve with gentle cleaning and special creams. But, infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), often have frequent, watery stool, putting them at higher risk of diaper dermatitis, and leading to acute pain and infection.

When these infants have extended stays in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), their skin care needs must be prioritized. The author outlines a project aimed at reducing diaper rash in NAS infants by creating and implementing an evidence-based skin care protocol.

5 Steps

A total of 5 evidence-based interventions were combined and evaluated. By assessing 25 infants through a retrospective medical record review, and using the new 5 Step process on 8 novel infants, there was an overall 80.5% decrease in diaper dermatitis.

The skin care protocol included,

1. a specific diaper rash assessment tool

2. frequent diaper changes with super-absorbent diapers

3. application of petroleum jelly and alcohol-free wipes

4. infant bathing in pH neutral soap

5. application of zinc oxide barrier cream for skin redness

Dove Beauty Bar, Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser are examples of pH neutral soap

Conclusion

Expanding the skin care plan to all newborns in the NICU and nursery might help protect their skin and lower the chance of diaper rashes. More research is needed to know if the results will be the same in other hospitals. This study gives some helpful ideas, like using a special tool to check for diaper rash and always using the same group of treatments.

Many thanks to the author, Courtney Glashan

Read the full study here. Watch video here.