Youth and Family: SIDS

Youth and Family: SIDS 1
Youth and Family: SIDS
Professor
Course
Institution
City, State
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SIDS Health Policies
Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) is one of the main causes of infant
mortality, affecting 0.5 per 1,000 live births in Australia, whose rate is in the mid-range,
falling between 0.4 and 0.6 per 1,000 live births (Freemantle and Ellis 2018). The rate of
SIDS, for the same period, was 0.32 per 1000 live births; indicating that it is the main form of
SUDI (Middleton 2009). However, distinguishing between SUDI and SIDS is not a common
thing as seen from review of literature. SUDI is a broader term encompassing Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome, asphyxiation, and undetermined cause. The overall health policy on SIDS
is on its prevention and reduction. The reason why this is the main policy is because the
others help in its attainment, for example policy aimed at identifying SIDS’ risk factors.
Highlights one of the policies as assisting staff to identify and resolve risk factors of SIDS in
reference to bed sharing. Bed sharing is deemed a thermal management strategy for the cold
infant, but there are instances when bed sharing should be overlooked if it increases the risk
of SIDS. The policy asserts that nurses and midwives, who are largely responsible for
maternal and child health, should reinforce safe infant sleeping practices (Sydney Local
Health District 2012).
Western Australia is involved in supportive efforts for safe infant sleeping practices
and messages aimed at reducing the incidence of Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy. It
does this by supporting, and promoting, the use of evidence-based frameworks to develop
effective and efficient interventions (Department of Health 2013 and The Royal Children’s
Hospital Melbourne 2016). Also, it entails engaging and consulting with the community to
adopt safe infant sleeping practices and to disseminate messages on the same. In addition, the
policy is attained through collaborative and multidisciplinary effort of the government,
private, not-for-profit and community-based organizations targeting parents, infant caregivers
and associated families, and the community at large. Again, there is advocacy for ongoing

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training of the workforce to help them acquire current skills to enhance their competency in
healthcare delivery, especially nurses working in maternal and child health units as they are
in direct contact with pregnant and lactating mothers. The attainment of the policy cannot be
realized without the consistent monitoring and evaluation of the proposed risk reduction
strategies for SIDS.
The policies make emphasis on the competence of healthcare staff so that they can
effectively and efficiently pass on messages of safe infant sleeping practices. There are five
standards that the healthcare staff should be well-conversant with so as to educate mothers
and promote health infant care practices. First, the baby’s environment should be safe during
the first one year, and this can be achieved by ensuring the infant sleeps on his or her back:
not front or side. Preferably, babies should have their own cots that should be compliant with
the Australian Standards for Household Cots and should be placed in a space free of hazards
that could pose as a risk for the infant, for example, blind cords (Centre for Health
Promotion, Youth and Women’s Health Service [CYWHS] 2011). The environment is safe if
it is free of smoke, and the baby is securely tucked and materials that could cause
asphyxiation should be kept away, such as pillows and soft toys. Secondly, care providers
dealing with expectant and lactating mothers should be competent in risks, prevention, and
management of infant care practices. Thirdly, the cultural needs of the mothers should be take
into account. Fourthly, mothers should be informed about the association between smoke and
SIDS, and lastly, information on the required materials to create a safe environment for the
infant should be provided to the mothers and their families (CYWHS 2011).
Principles of Health Promotion, and Primary Health Care
As noted above, the policy on SIDS asserts the need to promote the adoption of safe
infant sleeping practices. Principles of health promotion relevant in the attainment of this
policy are geared towards the successful execution of the policy entails taking a collaborative