In determining a newborn’s health doctor’s use standardized assignment methods: the Apgar scale and the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment scale. These scales were set up to identify and treat problems with infants that physicians discovered. They needed a way to assess whether a child may suffer irreparable damage or even die.
The Apgar scale is a medical assessment of a newborn. This medical assessment utilizes the five vital signs of neonatal activity, which are: pulse, breathing, activity, grimace, and appearance. The Apgar scale is administered at one and five minutes after delivery and the test is quick and simple. The Apgar scale is a way of diagnosing the physical status of a newborn baby. The scale ranges from one to ten with ten being the best. Each vital sign has a rating of three points. The points are worth 0, 1, and 2. If an infant’s score is…show more content… The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment scale is designed to examine a newborn infant’s responses to his or her new environment. The examination is built on assumptions that the newborn infant is both competent and complexly organized. When determining the progress of preterm infants, comparing newborns of different cultures, or evaluating programs designed to alleviate developmental difficulties the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment scale is used. The scale assesses the newborn infant’s behavioral repertoire of 28 behavioral items. Each of these items is based on a 9-point scale. Also incorporated into the assessments of the infant is the neurological status on 18 reflex items. Each of these items is based on a 4-point scale. The scale creates a comprehensive profile of the infant’s neonatal functioning. It includes a full range of neonatal behaviors like: competencies and strengths as well as identifying areas of difficulty or