Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses
-
To describe the implementation and outcomes of delayed cord clamping (DCC) in preterm babies. ⋯ The DCC protocol is feasible in preterm babies with reinforcement and education. It appears practical, safe, and applicable, and has minimal impact on immediate neonatal transition, with possible early neonatal benefits.
-
To describe parental perceptions of decision making concerning their extremely premature newborns who received care in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). ⋯ Although information and decision making are interconnected and fundamental to parents' experiences of their preterm baby's NICU stay, they also identified the culture and language of the NICU and genuine relationships formed with healthcare professionals as significantly influencing their experiences.
-
The purpose of this article was to present a new, integrative, case-based educational approach for neonatal advanced practice nursing students in a hybirdized long-distance program at the University of Washington. The theoretical background is based on a holistic, systems-based, and case-based approach to learning. A guideline for instructors will be included, emphasizing recommendations of Benner et al for teaching a sense of salience, integration, critical reasoning, and role formation. Such a holistic approach to neonatal advanced practice nursing education may maximize the unification of knowledge with practice and improve learning, at a time when resources are few.
-
The purpose of this study was to describe the job satisfaction of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses in the Midwestern United States. The factors explored in job satisfaction were monetary compensation (pay), job stress, caring for patients in stressful situations, level of autonomy, organizational support, level of knowledge of the specialty, work environment, staffing levels, communication with physicians, communication with neonatal nurse practitioners, interdisciplinary communication, team spirit, and the amount of required "floating" to other nursing units. ⋯ Nurses in the NICU are relatively satisfied with their jobs. The small sample size (n = 109) of Midwest NICU nurses proves to be a limitation for generalization. Additional research is needed to further evaluate nursing role, educational level, and job satisfaction in the NICU.
-
Safe and effective functioning of nasogastric and orogastric tubes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is achieved by ensuring their correct placement within the stomach. Insertion length has traditionally been estimated using morphological measures, but studies have indicated that these are frequently inaccurate. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of correct tube placement and to determine a weight-based formula for estimation of insertion length. ⋯ We propose a novel weight-based formula for estimation of gastric tube insertion length in newborn infants to improve the accuracy of this routine procedure.