The iRainbow© is a unique, parent-friendly, infant-driven tool that guides sensory interventions in the NICU by staging infants based using clinical indicators of cardiorespiratory status and infant physiologic maturity, not infant age. It is flexible and easy to use in a complex highly acute NICU setting. It is comprised of 6-color coded stages of advancing infant stability and maturity, with associated recommended evidence-based developmental activities. The iRainbow© is on a continuum that allows infants to enter at any stage, and it is recommended for infants < 44 weeks post menstrual age. The iRainbow© was specifically designed to be infant led, following each infant’s journey in the NICU. To accomplish this, the path was designed to be directive without being overly prescriptive. And in the later stages of the path, developmental “menus” of recommended activities are offered which allows parents to choose the activities! In a recent study1, The iRainbow© improved the delivery of developmental care activities, and was well received by parents and nurses. After iRainbow© implementation, disagreement among providers on appropriate developmental care interventions significantly decreased, while total minutes of daily developmental care and swaddled holding increased significantly. In addition, all parents who participated in the study reported that they interacted with their baby more because of the iRainbow, and said that they would recommend the tool to other parents. And, the iRainbow has been modified for infants in the cardiac intensive care setting and is called the Cardiac iRainbow©.

Eilish Byrne graduated with a B.A. in biological basis of behavior from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her master of science degree in physical therapy from Widener University Institute for Physical Therapy. After completing a year-long fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she returned to higher learning to earn a doctor of science degree in neurologic physical therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She is a certified pediatric specialist from the ABPTS and her clinical expertise is in pediatric, neurologic, and cardiopulmonary physical therapy, particularly in the acute care setting. She is active in conducting novel research in the acute care physical therapy setting and has presented her research nationally.