Ensuring Safety and Preventing the Sudden Unexpected Collapse of Newborns in Delivery Rooms

Contemporary situation: The priority of nursing care for a newborn in the delivery room is to ensure its safety, and clinical observation and instrumental monitoring can be used for this purpose. Early education in the prenatal period allows the mother and accompanying person to be involved in the safe care of the newborn. Goal: The main goal of this research was to map the nursing care of newborns in the delivery room immediately after birth, emphasising safety and preventing sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC). Methods: A semi-structured interview with nursing staff caring for newborns in delivery rooms in selected hospitals in South Bohemia (<i>n</i>1 = 21) was used for the qualitative research. The staff were also trained in using the RAPPT (Respiratory, Activity, Perfusion, Position and Tone) scoring system to assess the risk of SUPC and asked about the possibility of its use in practice in delivery rooms (<i>n</i>2 = 12). Results: Based on data analysis, we identified some key areas: Practical procedures of nursing staff in delivery rooms in SUPC prevention, Implementation of assessment tools and monitoring in SUPC prevention, Education and involvement of mothers after childbirth in the SUPC prevention system during skin-to-skin contact in the delivery room, and Possibilities of using the RAPPT scale in newborn care in the delivery room. Conclusion: The need to assess the newborn after birth using the Apgar score to ensure bonding does not correspond to the condition of the newborn. Newborns are calmer during skin-to-skin contact, and other monitoring of the child's safe adaptation is needed.