Six-hour trauma-informed and developmental care education associated with improved NICU nurse scale scores

A six-hour online educational program integrating trauma-informed care and developmental care principles was associated with improved trauma-informed care awareness and developmental care knowledge and attitudes among neonatal intensive care unit nurses in a multicenter quasi-experimental study in Istanbul, Türkiye. The study included 104 nurses from eight training and research hospitals and compared nurses with different clinical backgrounds: 50 newly graduated nurses and 54 nurses who had transferred to a NICU from another clinical department. The abstract reports that data were collected before and immediately after the intervention; it does not state completion rates or provide longer-term follow-up.

All participants received the same standardized six-hour online program, which combined trauma-informed care and developmental care principles. Investigators used the Trauma-Informed Care Scale and the Developmental Care Practices Scale for Neonatal Intensive Care Units to assess outcomes. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, mixed analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. The design included two clinical-background groups, but the abstract does not describe an untreated group or an alternative educational intervention for comparison.

Mixed analysis of variance showed significant time effects for total Trauma-Informed Care Scale scores (F = 104.838, p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.507) and total Developmental Care Practices Scale scores (F = 55.989, p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.354). Significant time-by-group interactions were also reported for both outcomes, indicating that the magnitude of change differed between newly graduated and transferred nurses. Baseline differences between the groups decreased substantially after the intervention, and most between-group differences that were statistically significant at baseline were no longer statistically significant at the posttest.

The findings support an association between the educational intervention and changes in the measured scales, rather than demonstrating effects on nursing practice, family experience or infant clinical outcomes. The authors stated that structured education may improve trauma-informed care awareness and developmental care knowledge and attitudes among NICU nurses with different clinical backgrounds. They also described reduced competency differences and more standardized, family-centered neonatal care as potential contributions, not demonstrated outcomes. The available abstract does not provide the full study methods or results beyond the summarized information. Because the abstract describes a pretest–posttest intervention without an untreated or alternative-intervention comparator, the score changes cannot be attributed specifically to the program. Immediate posttest measurement also leaves retention unmeasured, and the focus on nurses in eight Istanbul hospitals limits generalizability to other settings, staff populations and clinical outcomes.

Subject of Research: Quasi-experimental evaluation of trauma-informed and developmental care education for NICU nurses

Article Title: Effects of trauma-informed and developmental care education on NICU nurses: a quasi-experimental study

Article References: Temizsoy, E., Kızılhan, S., Şakal, D., Öz, E., Andaç, M., & Hançer, G. (2026). Effects of trauma-informed and developmental care education on NICU nurses: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05332-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05332-1

Keywords: NICU nursing, trauma-informed care, developmental care, online education, quasi-experimental study, nurse training, Istanbul, scale scores, Effects, trauma-informed, developmental, care