Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses

BACKGROUND: Stress exposure in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is associated with poor outcomes in preterm infants. However, factors predicting subsequent NICU stress exposure have not been identified. PURPOSE: To characterize NICU stressors experienced by preterm infants during the first 2 weeks of life and identify demographic, perinatal, and institutional variables associated with stress exposure. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from a nonexperimental, prospective study was conducted using data from 60 very preterm infants born 28 to 31 weeks gestational age...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a significant public health concern. A quality improvement project was executed in a neonatal intensive care unit at a large urban hospital. The aim was to address the prolonged hospitalization of infants and exposure to medications to treat NAS. PURPOSE: The goal was to determine whether the eat, sleep, console (ESC) method decreases the length of stay (LOS) and morphine usage when compared with the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (FNASS)...

BACKGROUND: Tracheal agenesis is a rare and often fatal congenital anomaly that occurs early in fetal development. Tracheal agenesis occurs in one in 50,000 to 100,000 live births. This case study describes the nursing aspect of caring for this type of patient. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Airway anomalies in neonates can be diagnosed immediately at birth or later when the infant develops respiratory distress or respiratory failure. Diagnosis and management of tracheal agenesis is difficult and a complex problem requiring a multidisciplinary medical team's expert approach for its treatment...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal care has advanced significantly in recent years, yet racial health inequities persist in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with infants from racial and ethnic minority groups less likely to receive recommended treatment. Healthcare providers acknowledge that there are steps that can be taken to increase knowledge and awareness regarding health inequities. PURPOSE: To better understand current health equity-related initiatives in the neonatal community and solicit feedback from National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) membership about advancing racial equity within the organization...

BACKGROUND: Developmental care is designed to optimize early brain maturation by integrating procedures that support a healing environment. Protecting preterm sleep is important in developmental care. However, it is unclear to what extent healthcare professionals are aware of the importance of sleep and how sleep is currently implemented in the day-to-day care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). PURPOSE: Identifying the current state of knowledge among healthcare professionals regarding neonatal sleep and how this is transferred to practice...

BACKGROUND: For infants requiring intensive care, infant length is a primary gauge of nutrition and forms the basis for important future treatment decisions. However, existing evidence demonstrates discrepancies in infant length measurements between tape measure and length board. PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy and reliability of infant length measurements using tape measure (standard practice) and length board in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a public academic medical center...

BACKGROUND: Parents' participation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) reduces length of stay and positively affects infants' psychological, cognitive, and behavioural outcomes. Healthcare professionals in the NICU focus on both parents, but tend to have the main focus on the mother and the infant. Therefore, fathers may experience a lack of support and feel that they are being disregarded in the NICU. PURPOSE: To study fathers' experiences with father groups during NICU admission with their preterm infant...

BACKGROUND: Although research has demonstrated positive impacts of family-centered care (FCC), many neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses hesitate to fully engage in its practice. There has been little scientific focus on investigating the challenges of FCC implementation in the NICU setting. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to generate a grounded theory explaining the process by which neonatal nurses experience facilitators and challenges through engaging in FCC practices in the context of the NICU setting...

BACKGROUND: Families and staff in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) value continuity of care (COC), though definitions, delivery, and impacts of COC are incompletely described. Previously, we used parental perspectives to define and build a conceptual model of COC provided by neonatologists. Nursing perspectives about COC remain unclear. PURPOSE: To describe nursing perspectives on neonatologist COC and revise our conceptual model with neonatal nurse input. METHODS: This was a qualitative study interviewing NICU nurses...

BACKGROUND: The need for paternal support is rarely addressed in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Neonatal nurses often primarily focus on the needs of the mother and infant and may not be trained in support of fathers. PURPOSE: To investigate nurses' self-efficacy (SE) in guiding and supporting fathers after implementing a father-friendly NICU. METHODS: Nurses from the intervention NICU and 13 control NICUs were included in a before-and-after intervention study...

BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia is a rare and serious neonatal disease that affects the quality of life of both infants and parents. There is currently limited literature on the experiences of parents with infants diagnosed with biliary atresia. PURPOSE: To explore the psychological journey and coping styles of parents of infants with biliary atresia in a single center in Shanghai, China. METHODS: A qualitative study design was used. Face-to-face and semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 parents of infants with biliary atresia...

BACKGROUND: Neonatal encephalopathy is a clinical condition of altered neurological function in the first days of life. Targeted temperature management (TTM) is a validated approach to mitigate neurologic sequelae. Current literature suggests using rectal or esophageal site to assess temperature during TTM, but few studies focused on the best and the less invasive site to evaluate the temperature. This case report describes the performance of the bladder temperature monitoring during TTM...

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 infection, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may present with a wide range of clinical presentations and a variety of symptoms in neonates. The cardiovascular manifestations that have been described in the setting of COVID-19 infection in neonates are tachycardia and hypotension, but information regarding cardiac arrhythmias is scarce, while the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on myocardial function is still not well established. CLINICAL FINDINGS: We present a case of a neonate admitted with fever and nasal congestion...

BACKGROUND: Innovative technologies, such as the SNOO Smart Sleeper responsive bassinet (SNOO), may offer support to neonatal clinicians in their work environment. PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to describe the experiences of clinicians when using the SNOO in their clinical settings, including their perceptions of the SNOO on the quality of infant care and their work environment. METHODS: A retrospective, secondary analysis was conducted using 2021 survey data across 44 hospitals participating in the SNOO donation program...

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BACKGROUND: Premature infants are at increased risk for language delays. The auditory system hears sounds at 25 weeks' gestation; therefore, infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may miss crucial language exposure during the period when neural pathways for language processing are developing. Supporting the synergistic relationship between fathers and newborns promotes connections through early language to strengthen engagement and promote infant neurodevelopment. PURPOSE: To determine what is known about preterm infants' response to the male voice...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.