Nurse's Role During Phototherapy

You should take care of following while nursing the baby in receiving phototherapy.

Check the lights of phototherapy unit before use and place it in a proper place.

Eye Care: Because of the potential for eye damage, the eyes should be covered while phototherapy is in use. Cover the eyes with pads without placing excessive pressure on the eyes and be carefully positioned to avoid occluding the nares. To permit evaluation of the infant's eyes, eye patches should be removed every-4 hours and changed every 8 hours. The patches should be removed during
feedings and parental visits.

Temperature: You should monitor infant's temperature frequently.

Fluid balance: Fluid balance must be carefully monitored. Daily weight and close monitoring of intake and output such as urine volume and specific gravity may indicate a need for increased fluids as much as 30 per cent i.e. 10-30 ml/kg/ day either orally or intravenously.

Parental Explanations: The treatment of phototherapy can be very disturbing to parents. Parents often feel guilty that perhaps something they did or failed to do resulted in their infant's jaundice. Reassurance and support are vital especially for the lactating mother who may question her ability to adequately feed her infant. Eye patches tend tn be especially. The lights should be turned off and eye patches removed during visits so that normal parent-infant interaction can occur.