Larner College of Medicine News & Media

Young Interviewed by Fox5 TV about ‘Eat, Sleep, Console’ Care Approach for Opioid-Exposed Newborns

May 16, 2023 by Lucy Gardner Carson

(MAY 16, 2023) Neonatologist Leslie Young, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, was interviewed by Fox5 TV about her research on more effective ways to care for newborns exposed to opioids in the womb. In short, these littlest patients have shorter hospital stays when treated with the “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach.

Leslie Young, M.D. (Photo: Ryan Mercer)

(MAY 16, 2023) Neonatologist Leslie Young, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, was interviewed by Fox5 TV about her research on more effective ways to care for newborns exposed to opioids in the womb. In short, these littlest patients have shorter hospital stays when treated with the “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach. Young’s study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that the “Eat, Sleep, Console” care approach, which uses a function-based assessment of withdrawal severity and emphasizes parent involvement, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, rocking, and a calm environment, is more effective than usual care approaches for treating infants exposed to opioids in the womb. “The data show that nonpharmacologic care with increased family presence, holding, swaddling, and a quiet, darkly lit room can improve outcomes for these infants,” said Young.

This research also was featured in numerous other media outlets, including the Associated Press.