Objective Creative of national care standards in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).

Methods This research is a multiple triangulation study. First, international standards were extracted from the worldwide web. Then, using the Delphi method, these standards as well as the viewpoints of 15 clinical medical sciences experts were compiled to set suggested standards in intensive care units. Finally, in the third stage, 42 clinical medical science experts in the country were selected and their suggestions regarding desirability and applicability of these standards to the executive and sociocultural situations in Iran were investigated through a descriptive survey method. Results of this stage were analyzed via descriptive statistics.

Results In the first stage, intensive care standards were extracted from 10 countries and states. Then suggestional assertions made by experts regarding the suitability and applicability to the environmental situation in Iran were studied and 372 standards in intensive care were drafted and were finally approved by an 80–100 desirability percentage rate.

Conclusions The findings of the second and third stage of either appropriate and fairly appropriate levels were necessary so changes in final standards could be made based on subjects, viewpoints and suggestions as well as consulting with supervisors, finally to generate intensive care standards suggested for Iran.