NEONATAL JAUNDICE
DEFINITION
The yellow orange tint of the neonate’s skin and mucous membranes
that occurs after 24 hours of life as a result of unconjugated biliru-
bin in the circulation
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
• Neonate age 1–7 days
• Yellow orange skin
• Yellow sclerae
• Yellow mucous membranes
• Abnormal blood profile (hemolysis; total serum bilirubin 2 mg/dl;
total serum bilirubin in high-risk range on age in hour-specific
nomogram)
RELATED FACTORS
• Abnormal weight loss ( 7%– 8% in breast-feeding newborn)
• Feeding pattern not well established
• Infant experiences difficulty making transition to extrauterine
life
• Stool (meconium) passage delayed
ASSESSMENT FOCUS (Refer to comprehensive assessment parameters.)
• Elimination
• Growth and development
• Fluid and electrolytes
• Nutrition
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The neonate will
• Establish effective feeding pattern (breast or bottle) that enhances
stooling.
• Not experience injury as a result of increasing bilirubin levels.
• Receive bilirubin assessment and screening within the first week of
life to detect increasing levels of serum bilirubin.
• Receive appropriate therapy to enhance bilirubin excretion.
• Receive nursing assessments to determine the risk for severity of
jaundice.
SUGGESTED NOC OUTCOMES
Bowel Elimination; Breast-Feeding Establishment: Infant; Nutritional
Status; Risk Control; Risk Detection
INTERVENTIONS AND RATIONALES
Determine: Evaluate maternal and delivery history for risk factors
for neonatal jaundice (Rh, ABO, G6PD deficiency, direct Coombs,
prolonged labor, maternal viral illness, medications) to anticipate
which neonates are at higher risk for jaundice.
Perform: Collect and evaluate laboratory blood specimens as ordered
or per unit protocol to permit accurate and timely diagnosis and
treatment of neonatal jaundice.
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Inform: Educate parents regarding newborn care at home in relation
to appearance of jaundice in association with any of the following:
no stool in 48 hr, lethargy with refusal to nurse or bottle feed, less
than 1 wet diaper in 12 hr, abnormal infant behavior. Parent educa-
tion is crucial for the time after the neonate is discharged. Parents
are the major decision makers concerning whether and when to
bring the neonate back for medical and nursing assessments after
being discharged from the hospital.
Attend: Provide caring support to the family if a breast-fed neonate
must receive supplementation. It can be upsetting and result in feel-
ings of inadequacy to a breast-feeding mother for her neonate to
require supplementation.
Manage: Coordinate care and facilitate communication between fam-
ily, nursing staff, pediatrician, and lactation specialist. A multidisci-
plinary approach that includes the family enhances communication
and improves outcomes.
SUGGESTED NIC INTERVENTIONS
Attachment Promotion; Bottle Feeding; Bowel Management; Breast-
Feeding Assistance; Capillary Blood Sample; Discharge Planning;
Infant Care; Kangaroo Care; Newborn Monitoring; Nutritional
Monitoring; Risk Identification: Childbearing Family; Surveillance;
Teaching: Infant Nutrition; Vital Signs Monitoring
Reference
Bhutani, V. K., Johnson, L. H., Schwoebel, A., & Gennaro, S. (2006). A sys-
tems approach for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in term and near-term new-
borns. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 35,
444–455.