Abstract
The use of opioids during pregnancy has risen dramatically in the last 25 years, resulting in an increased rate of newborns experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome (Chyi et al., 2023). The primary assessment tool used to care for these infants has historically been the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (FNASS). In recent years, the FNASS tool’s subjective nature has turned interests to the novel Eat, Sleep, Console assessment tool (Amin et al., 2023). This integrative research review was conducted by using a modified methodology suggested by Whittemore & Knafle (2005) and seeks to answer the research question, “For neonates of greater than or equal to 35 weeks gestation experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome from opioid withdrawal admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, does the implementation of the Eat, Sleep, Console evaluation tool lead to decreased lengths of stay, in comparison to those evaluated using the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System?” CINHAL, Medline Complete, Health Research Premium, PubMed, and Cochrane were searched for peer reviewed articles. Search terms used were “neonatal abstinence syndrome,” “eat sleep console,” and “length of stay.” The search criteria were limited to full text articles published between the years 2019 and 2024 for each database. One hundred and twenty-two articles were located. Fifty-six articles were duplicates. Fifty-four studies were excluded based upon exclusion criteria. Twelve articles were included in the integrative research review final sample. All articles were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018 Version) and the PRISMA checklist. Multiple studies suggest that the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) method results in a shorter length of stay, as well as decreased pharmacological treatments and longer time to initiation of pharmacologic treatment in NAS infants. Ryan et al. and Amin et al. report that ESC model scores correlate with FNASS scores across infants, suggesting that ESC is a sufficient comparison to FNASS in NAS management (2021; 2023). Two studies report finding no significant improvement with ESC in comparison to FNASS (Chyi et al., 2024). No single study evaluated the impact of ESC within solely the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The novel ESC model is gaining initiative as a useful tool for NAS care, but further studies are necessary to ascertain its practicality in the neonatal intensive care setting.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Eat Sleep Console, Length of Stay
Recommended Citation
Seigman, Kelsey, "The Eat, Sleep, Console Method in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Integrative Research Review" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 175.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/175
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The Eat, Sleep, Console Method in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Integrative Research Review
Seattle, Washington, USA
The use of opioids during pregnancy has risen dramatically in the last 25 years, resulting in an increased rate of newborns experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome (Chyi et al., 2023). The primary assessment tool used to care for these infants has historically been the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (FNASS). In recent years, the FNASS tool’s subjective nature has turned interests to the novel Eat, Sleep, Console assessment tool (Amin et al., 2023). This integrative research review was conducted by using a modified methodology suggested by Whittemore & Knafle (2005) and seeks to answer the research question, “For neonates of greater than or equal to 35 weeks gestation experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome from opioid withdrawal admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, does the implementation of the Eat, Sleep, Console evaluation tool lead to decreased lengths of stay, in comparison to those evaluated using the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System?” CINHAL, Medline Complete, Health Research Premium, PubMed, and Cochrane were searched for peer reviewed articles. Search terms used were “neonatal abstinence syndrome,” “eat sleep console,” and “length of stay.” The search criteria were limited to full text articles published between the years 2019 and 2024 for each database. One hundred and twenty-two articles were located. Fifty-six articles were duplicates. Fifty-four studies were excluded based upon exclusion criteria. Twelve articles were included in the integrative research review final sample. All articles were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018 Version) and the PRISMA checklist. Multiple studies suggest that the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) method results in a shorter length of stay, as well as decreased pharmacological treatments and longer time to initiation of pharmacologic treatment in NAS infants. Ryan et al. and Amin et al. report that ESC model scores correlate with FNASS scores across infants, suggesting that ESC is a sufficient comparison to FNASS in NAS management (2021; 2023). Two studies report finding no significant improvement with ESC in comparison to FNASS (Chyi et al., 2024). No single study evaluated the impact of ESC within solely the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The novel ESC model is gaining initiative as a useful tool for NAS care, but further studies are necessary to ascertain its practicality in the neonatal intensive care setting.
Description
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), resulting from opioid use in pregnancy, has risen dramatically in the last 25 years. This study seeks to compare the tools used to assess and guide treatment for newborns with NAS within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.