The Neonatal Resuscitation Program Comes of Age

The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), established by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association, is the accepted standard for teaching neonatal resuscitation.¹ The initial vision of the NRP was to provide effective intervention for newborns requiring resuscitation by a trained healthcare professional and develop a standardized educational program would promote optimal care in the resuscitation of sick newborns.² In its short life-span, the NRP has matured with the implementation of best educational practices. From inception in 1985 until 2000, the curriculum was based on anecdotal evidence and scholarly speculations initially developed by champions Catherine Cropley, RN, MN, and Ronald Bloom, MD. In the fourth edition of the NRP in 2000, the first organized review of existing scientific literature took place, aligning the curriculum with evidence-based guidelines.

NRP, Neonatal Resuscitation Program