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Resource Guide For Nurses: Patient Teaching On Newborn Jaundice (Hyperbilirubinemia), Sarah Purcell

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Hyperbilirubinemia, commonly referred to as Newborn Jaundice, is a condition caused by an excessive amount of accumulated bilirubin in the blood due to the destruction of red blood cells at birth. As the level of bilirubin rises in the newborn’s bloodstream, the infant presents with a yellowing of the skin and eyes (sclera). Hyperbilirubinemia affects up to 84% of term newborns. Due to the prevalence of the disorder, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all newborns be screened for jaundice prior to discharge from the hospital (Muchowski, 2014).

While attending my capstone clinical experience at Greenwich Hospital on the …