Implementation and Modification of Developmental Care Rounds in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

In 2019, an interprofessional team at Texas Children’s Hospital designed and instituted developmental care rounds to better coordinate developmentally appropriate care within the cardiac intensive care unit. During the first 2 years, we conducted 230 developmental care rounds on 169 patients; for these rounds, family participation was greater than 85%. Since their inception, these rounds have undergone several modifications, including changes to the patient selection criteria and team role delegation. Importantly, the structure of these rounds has evolved to prominently integrate family members’ perspectives and experiences. Lessons learned through developmental care rounds have formed a foundation for implementing other developmentally appropriate practices and initiatives throughout the hospital’s Heart Center.