Cuidados da equipe de saúde com incubadoras na prevenção de infecções relacionadas à assistência em saúde de neonatos: revisão de escopo

Abstract

Neonatal incubators are tools that allow better control of air temperature and humidity favoring the newborn in a thermo-neutral and humid environment similar to the maternal uterus. Despite all the benefits, improper handling of incubators can cause risks to the safety of newborns being considered reservoirs prone to generating infections. The objective of the study is to identify the care of the health team related to incubators in the prevention and control of infections related to the health of neonates. This is a scope review, carried out in May and June of 2022 in the following databases: LILACS, MEDLINE, Web of Science and CINAHL. The study followed the recommendations of the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The research followed six steps: elaboration of the research question; identification of relevant studies; selection of studies; data mapping; collection, summary and description of findings; and dissemination of results. The inclusion criteria are: articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese; primary open access studies published or made available from 2012 to 2022. The exclusion criteria are: articles that address the malfunction of incubators; review articles and guidelines; articles that do not answer the guiding question. Initially 230 studies were selected. Rayyan software assisted in managing the selected references. The reading of the title and abstract followed by the reading in full was paired. The final sample comprised seven studies. The main care performed by the health team was: hand hygiene, disinfection, adequate distancing from incubators and replacement of incubators mattresses. The identification of care with incubators to prevent neonates from developing healthcare associated infections is relevant because it considers the physiological and clinical fragility of this public and the need to use this equipment. In addition the data found can guide conducts aimed at care practice with a focus on reducing nosocomial infections. The need for new studies that address this issue is confirmed especially in the Brazilian scenario in which no study was identified.