Study Visit to the Neonatology Department in Modena

The 2026 KMC Challenge

The 2026 KMC Challenge was organised as part of “The Power of an Embrace in Neonatal Care”, a project implemented by ARNIS with the support of the OMV Petrom Foundation through the “Today. Together.” funding programme, 2025 edition.

Between 15 May and 14 June 2026, the competition mobilised 11 Neonatology departments from eight hospitals, 133 healthcare professionals, 121 parents, including 34 fathers, and 98 premature or at-risk newborns.

Over the course of 30 days, medical teams supported parents in practising Kangaroo Mother Care in Neonatal Intensive Care and preterm care units. Altogether, families completed 904 kangaroo care sessions, amounting to 1,473.5 hours of skin-to-skin contact.

Through the 2026 KMC Competition, ARNIS supports the integration of kangaroo care as a standard and natural practice in Romanian maternity hospitals, so that premature and at-risk babies can benefit from the closeness, stability and protection provided by their parents’ arms.

For medical teams, the competition provides recognition, encourages the exchange of experience and offers access to European models of good practice through study visits awarded to the winning teams.

Why Modena?

The Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care in Modena is recognised as a European model for the implementation of the principles of NIDCAP—Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program.

The Modena NIDCAP Centre has a multidisciplinary team comprising 8 NIDCAP-certified professionals:

• Four nurses;
• Two neonatologists;
• One physiotherapist;
• One psychologist.

The Centre is medically led by Professor Alberto Berardi, Head of the Department of Neonatology, while the nursing team is coordinated by Federica Cipolli, Nursing Director of the NIDCAP Centre.

A central role in the Centre’s development has been played by Natascia Bertoncelli, physiotherapist and NIDCAP Trainer. She became the first NIDCAP-certified professional in Italy in 2005 and is currently one of the two NIDCAP Trainers in Italy.

This study visit was made possible thanks to Natascia Bertoncelli, with whom ARNIS has collaborated for many years through the General Movements Assessment—GMA courses brought to Romania for professionals involved in the neurological development and assessment of newborns.

We are deeply grateful to her for her openness, generosity and support in organising this study visit.

We also extend our sincere thanks to Professor Alberto Berardi, Head of the Department of Neonatology, and to the entire multidisciplinary team in Modena, who welcomed and guided the Romanian teams throughout three days of clinical observation.

The participants were offered direct access to a model of clinical practice built around neuroprotection, parent involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration.

What the Romanian Teams Observed in Modena

The Department of Neonatology at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena has nine Neonatal Intensive Care cots and six step-down care cots.

The staffing ratio is approximately one nurse for every two to three babies. The department also benefits from an interpreter service for migrant families, available around the clock, with interpreters able to attend the unit by prior arrangement.

One of the fundamental principles underpinning care in Modena is the 24-hour presence of parents.

There are limited situations in which parents may be asked to leave the unit temporarily—for example, during nursing shift changes, emergency procedures, resuscitation, central line placement or when a baby returns from the operating theatre.

At all other times, parents are regarded as an integral part of their baby’s care.

Parent education is not delivered through a separate programme. It takes place directly at the bedside, next to the incubator and next to the baby.

Parents are guided how to touch and comfort their baby, how to participate in hygiene, feeding and daily care, how to practise kangaroo care and how to become involved in a way that is both safe and beneficial for their newborn.

Parent involvement is also documented in the department’s electronic medical record system. The team records:

• How much time parents spend beside their baby;
• How much kangaroo care is provided;
• Whether parents touch and comfort the baby;
• Whether they participate in hygiene or feeding;
• The level of independence achieved in providing care.

Parents autonomy in caring for their baby is monitored though three steps:

1. Care provided exclusively by the nurse;
2. Care provided jointly by the nurse and the parent;
3. Care provided independently by the parent.

The department is particularly recognised for three major areas of clinical practice:

• Neuroprotection;
• Antibiotic stewardship;
• Reduction of blood sampling.

For babies born before 28 weeks of gestation, a neuroprotective care bundle is implemented during the first 72 hours of life. This includes minimum handling, four-handed care, maintaining the head in a midline position and avoiding elevation of the baby’s legs during diaper changes.

For the Romanian teams, the visit was an opportunity to observe how principles promoted by ARNIS through scholarships for the FINE—Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education Level 1 and Level 2 courses can be integrated into daily clinical practice.

These principles include:

• Careful observation of the newborn;
• Reduction of sensory stress;
• Pain prevention and management;
• Meaningful parent involvement;
• Kangaroo Mother Care;
• Individualised developmental care;
• Collaboration between doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and lactation consultants.

What Study Visits Bring Back to Romania

ARNIS organises study visits to connect Romanian medical teams with European centres where family-centred care, Kangaroo Care and NIDCAP principles are already embedded in everyday clinical practice.

Transforming neonatal care requires more than theoretical knowledge. It requires direct experience, functional models and the opportunity for professionals to see that practices which may initially appear difficult, or even impossible, can become routine when they are supported by protocols, training, interdisciplinary collaboration and a strong culture of family-centred care.

For healthcare professionals, such a visit provides access to European good practices, practical solutions and direct discussions with teams that have already travelled a long way in implementing NIDCAP and Family Integrated Care.

For Romanian maternity hospitals, these visits bring back concrete ideas that can be adapted to the local context, including:

• Methods for reducing stress in the newborn;
• Meaningful integration of parents into care;
• Documentation of parent participation;
• Development of clinical protocols;
• Improved communication with families;
• Safer and more consistent implementation of kangaroo care.

For ARNIS, study visits form part of a long-term commitment to bringing family-centred and neurodevelopmentally supportive models of care to Romania.

Our objective is for premature and at-risk babies to receive safe, gentle and individualised medical care from the very first days of life, care that protects their development and keeps their parents close.

Participants’ Testimonials

Dr Alexandrina Nelepcu

Dr Ion Cantacuzino Clinical Hospital, Bucharest

“First and foremost, I would like to express my respect for the work and effort you have invested in giving us the opportunity to see and learn new things. Everything we observed was built through patience, dedication, professionalism and experience. We had the opportunity to meet an exceptional team, professionals from whom we could learn and, most importantly, whose practices can be implemented in our own work: communication, patience and dedication. The opportunity you have given us allows us to introduce new practices with confidence and with the hope that we will succeed. We thank the entire team for their dedication and professionalism.”

Nurse Orsolya Kovács

Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital – Neonatology 1

“The visit to the Neonatology Department in Modena gave us the opportunity to observe how a NIDCAP centre functions in practice. The first step in caring for a newborn in intensive care is to observe the baby and identify the right moment for procedures to be carried out. I was impressed by the calmness of the healthcare professionals and by the attention they paid to the newborn’s needs. All care procedures were performed in a way that disturbed the baby as little as possible. Within this approach, both non-pharmacological and pharmacological pain management play an essential role. In addition to treating medical conditions, creating a positive sensory environment greatly supports the newborn’s neurological development. The presence of parents in the unit is therefore extremely important. Parents are integrated into the care process and taught how to care for their own baby. The standardisation of procedures and effective collaboration between members of the healthcare team contribute to creating a more supportive and comfortable environment for medical professionals, parents and newborns alike.”

The 2026 KMC Challenge was organised as part of “The Power of an Embrace in Neonatal Care”, a project implemented by ARNIS with the support of the OMV Petrom Foundation through the “Today. Together.” funding programme, 2025 edition.