The S.T.A.B.L.E.® Program: the Evidence Behind the 2012 Update

First released in 1996, the S.T.A.B.L.E.® Program has provided evidence-based education in the postresuscitation and pretransport stabilization care of sick newborns to more than a quarter million multidisciplinary perinatal healthcare team members from around the world. The program, aimed at preventing the leading causes of neonatal mortality, continues to be the subject of published peer-reviewed research and is periodically updated to ensure relevancy and inclusion of current best evidence. S.T.A.B.L.E. is a mnemonic for the 6 essential assessment parameters taught in the program: Sugar and Safe care, Temperature, Airway, Blood pressure, Lab work, and Emotional support. This mnemonic was specifically chosen to serve as a memory tool to remind staff of "what to do" during those infrequent but stressful times when they were expected to assess and stabilize sick newborns. Course completion of the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program is obtained as a result of didactic training and successful completion of content testing. The program's test questions are periodically evaluated and revised on the basis of psychometric analysis. The 6th edition of the S.T.A.B.L.E. Program learner/provider manual is scheduled for release in 2012 and will reflect the latest in stabilization guidelines throughout the program's 6 modules and supplemental content.