Pediatric nursing
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Parental visitation in pediatric intensive care units, induction rooms, and postanesthesia care units is still limited despite the incongruence of such policies with existing stress and social-support theories. As recently as 1994, a survey of 125 randomly selected hospitals in 10 southeastern states found that 57% restricted visits to pediatric patients in intensive care units to brief periods, 5 to 15 times per day (Whitis, 1994). Little justification can be found for these practices. ⋯ First, an understanding of the historical context of visitation policies is important. Second, efforts to dispel concerns are needed, including staff preparation. Third, a philosophical switch to family-centered care must be adopted.
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Policies of most neonatal intensive care units include teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to parents or other caretakers prior to infant hospital discharge. However, little is known about CPR skills retention in this population or the outcome of parents' use of CPR. This is a study to measure CPR skills 6 months following CPR training to identify characteristics predicting successful performance and to determine if parents used CPR. ⋯ CPR skills decay is significant for caregivers of infants at high risk for cardiopulmonary arrest. Parents should be encouraged to review the steps of CPR frequently and to attend refresher classes. A significant proportion of parents of infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit are called upon to use CPR and are able to use it appropriately.