• Christine A Fortney, Mercedes Pratt, Zackery D O Dunnells, Joseph R Rausch, Olivia E Clark, Amy E Baughcum, and Cynthia A Gerhardt.
• Christine A. Fortney, PhD, RN, is Assistant Professor and Mercedes Pratt, BSN, RN, is Graduate Student, The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus. At the time this research was completed, Ms. Pratt was an undergraduate honors student at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus. Zackery D. O. Dunnells, BS, is Graduate Student in the Master of Social Work Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, University of Oklahoma, Norman. At the time this research was completed, he was a research assistant in the Center for Biobehavioral Health, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. Joseph R. Rausch, PhD, is Associate Professor, Center for Biobehavioral Health, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus. Olivia E. Clark, BS, is Graduate Student in the Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois. At the time this research was completed, she was a research assistant in the Center for Biobehavioral Health, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. Amy E. Baughcum, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, and Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus. Cynthia A. Gerhardt, PhD, is Director, Center for Biobehavioral Health, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, and Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
• Nurs Res. 2020 Mar 1; 69 (2): 127-132.

BackgroundInfants who are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may experience significant symptom burden. Parents are often distressed by these symptoms, which can affect their long-term coping and distress. There is limited research examining nurse perceptions of infant well-being (symptoms, suffering, and quality of life [QOL]) and associations with nurse distress.ObjectiveThe objective of this descriptive study was to explore associations between nurse perceptions of infant well-being and self-reported distress.MethodsNurses caring for infants with potentially life-threatening/life-limiting conditions were recruited from a Level IV NICU in the Midwestern United States as a part of a study on infant symptom burden. Nurses reported their perceptions of infant well-being and their own distress on a 5-point Likert scale. Surveys were administered at the bedside weekly for up to 12 weeks, depending on length of stay. Infant suffering and QOL were examined in relation to nurse distress. A cross-classified multilevel model was used to account for dependence within nurse and within patient.ResultsA total of 593 surveys were collected from nurses. Using a cross-classified multilevel model with variables entered simultaneously, nurse perceptions of greater infant suffering and lower infant QOL were significantly associated with greater nurse distress.DiscussionPreliminary evidence shows that greater perceived infant suffering and lower perceived infant QOL may be associated with greater levels of self-reported distress in NICU nurses. Further work is needed to better understand factors related to symptom management in the NICU and the potential role of caregiver distress and compassion fatigue in NICU nurses.

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