The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program

S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Philosophy
Hundreds of times each day, in hospitals and communities around the world, newly born infants become ill and require specialized care. Immediate high quality supportive care must be available at all times for all neonates. Each member of the health care team—nurses, physicians, therapists and assistants—must know what to do for the sick neonate, and must work together to do it well. I firmly believe that this early transitional care affects not only the immediate health, but also the long-term outcome of the infant. The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program content is critical to the effort to reduce infant mortality and morbidity and is intended for use by all members of the healthcare team.

Kris A. Karlsen MSN, RNC, NNP
National Program Director
Founder, the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program
Park City, Utah

March of Dimes Endorses the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program!

The following excerpt is from the March of Dimes Web site March 15, 2004:

“In 2003-2004, the March of Dimes conducted an extensive expert review of the program. Reviewers included nationally known physicians and nurses in the field of neonatal care. The experts agreed that the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program is accurate and high quality, meets an important need, and is relevant to the March of Dimes mission and its prematurity campaign. The March of Dimes endorses the S.T.A.B.L.E. program for use by health caregivers.”

Read more: http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/682_11793.asp

The Public Trust
"If my baby is sick, the hospital staff will know what to do for him, no matter where I deliver."

The Reality
Many nurses, physicians, and other members of the health care team have limited experience in stabilizing sick newborns therefore, it is often a challenge for hospital staff to maintain knowledge and skills in this area. The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) focuses on delivery room resuscitation. Following resuscitation, caregivers must turn to other resources for the necessary ongoing and supportive care.

What is The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program?
The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program is the first neonatal continuing education program to focus exclusively on the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick newborns. First introduced in 1996 in the United States and Canada, S.T.A.B.L.E. has grown internationally to include instructor training and courses in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Bahamas, Philippines, Thailand, Guatemala, Argentina, El Salvador, and Lithuania. S.T.A.B.L.E. has been translated into Spanish, Lithuanian, and Latvian, with Romanian translation planned for 2005. Read more.

S.T.A.B.L.E. targets the post-resuscitation care of sick neonates and is therefore considered by many experts to be the follow-up, complementary program to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). S.T.A.B.L.E. serves as a concise educational tool to organize the myriad of details necessary to stabilize and care for sick infants. Since 1996, over 80,000 students have participated in a S.T.A.B.L.E. Learner course. Today there are 1700 registered instructors in the U.S. and worldwide. The U.S. Navy is in its fourth year of preparing graduating pediatric residents and expert neonatal nurses as S.T.A.B.L.E. instructors so they can teach the course to military healthcare providers wherever they serve.

How is the program administered?
The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program involves an eight-hour interactive didactic presentation by an expert in neonatal nursing or medicine. Instructor courses are offered throughout the year to prepare Lead instructors for course presentation. Click here to view upcoming Instructor Courses in the US or Canada.

Who should take the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Learner Course?
Any health caregiver involved with post-resuscitation and/or pre-transport care of sick newborns:

Physicians:

Nurses:

Others:

Kris Karlsen
Founder of S.T.A.B.L.E., LLC
at the AAP meeting in Chicago, October 2000
(click to enlarge)