S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Module Objectives
Sugar & Safe Care
1. Issues of patient safety and error reduction in the delivery of nursing and medical care to neonates. 5. The IV glucose treatment of hypoglycemia and when to re-evaluate the blood glucose following treatment.
2. Infants at increased risk for becoming hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic. 6. Candidates for placement of an umbilical catheter.
3. Signs of hypoglycemia. 7. Principles for safe use of umbilical venous and arterial catheters.
4. The initial, appropriate IV fluid therapy to provide for sick neonates.  


Temperature
1. Infants at increased risk for becoming hypothermic. 3. Physiologic responses to hypothermia for premature and term infants.
2. Ways infants lose body heat and protection from cooling. 4. Necessary precautions to observe when re-warming hypothermic infants.


Airway
1. Evaluation of respiratory distress. 5. Blood gas interpretation and proper therapies to initiate in response to an abnormal result.
2. Indications for continuous positive airway pressure, positive pressure ventilation with bag and mask or endotracheal intubation. 6. The initial ventilatory support for very low-birth-weight, low-birth-weight and term infants.
3. How to provide assistance during endotracheal intubation. 7. The signs and symptoms of a pneumothorax, use of transillumination and chest x-ray to evaluate for pneumothoraces and principles of emergent evacuation of a pneumothorax.
4. How to secure an oral endotracheal tube and evaluation of ET tube depth on chest x-ray.


Blood Pressure
1. The causes, presentation and initial treatment of hypovolemic, cardiogenic and septic shock. 2. Physical exam for shock and laboratory tests that assist with recognition and evaluation of shock.
3. Indications for, and safe administration of dopamine.


Lab Work
1. Risk factors that predispose infants to infection and clinical signs of infection. 4. The relationship of thrombocytopenia to possible sepsis.
2. Laboratory tests indicated for evaluation of infection including the complete blood count and blood culture. 5. Initial antibiotic therapy with ampicillin and gentamicin and monitoring of gentamicin levels.
3. Basic white blood cell development and calculation and interpretation of the absolute neutrophil count and immature to total ratio.


Emotional Support
1. The crisis families experience when an infant requires care in a neonatal intensive care unit.  
2. Ways healthcare providers can support parents of sick infants.  


 
Quality Improvement
1. Concerns regarding patient safety and methods to reduce medical errors and preventable adverse events.  
2. The importance of self-assessment to evaluate care provided in the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization period.  
3. How to use the Pre-transport Stabilization Self-Assessment Tool (PSSAT)