PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceptions of death, end-of-life (EOL) care stress, and emotional intelligence on attitudes toward EOL care among nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: The participants were 111 nurses working in a NICU who had experienced EOL care at least once. Data were analyzed using the t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis in SPSS for Windows. RESULTS: The mean score for perceptions of death was 3.16 out of 5, the mean score for EOL care stress was 3.61 out of 5, the mean emotional intelligence score was 4.66 out of 7, and the average score for EOL care attitudes was 2.77 out of 4. The factors affecting attitudes towards EOL care were academic degree, anxiety regarding death, negativity towards death, experiences of patient death, and emotional intelligence. The explanatory power of these variables for attitudes towards EOL care was 24.7%. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are expected to serve as a basic reference for the development of nursing education programs and EOL care protocols to improve attitudes toward EOL care among NICU nurses.
Anxiety ; Critical Care ; Education, Nursing ; Emotional Intelligence* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of an educational intervention by evaluating neonatal emergency airway management knowledge, critical thinking disposition, problem- solving ability, and confidence in clinical performance after developing and operating a simulation-based neonatal emergency airway management education program for nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit.METHODS: The participants were 30 nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit. Data were collected from June 6 to 15, 2018 and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22.0.RESULTS: The results of the pretest and posttest for each educational group showed statistically significant improvements in neonatal emergency airway management knowledge, critical thinking, problem- solving ability, and confidence in clinical performance.CONCLUSION: The simulation-based neonatal emergency airway management training program was an effective educational program that enhanced neonatal emergency airway management knowledge, critical thinking disposition, problem-solving ability, and confidence in clinical performance among nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit. Therefore, it is suggested that the program described in this study can contribute to improving nursing quality by enhancing the ability of nurses to cope with emergencies in practice. It can also be used for education for new nurses and contribute to the development of nurses' practices.
Airway Management ; Education ; Emergencies ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Nursing ; Patient Simulation ; Thinking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between a flexible parental visiting environment and parental stress in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).METHODS: The study participants included 60 parents of premature infants in NICUs. Structured questionnaires and interviews, as well as observations by researchers using a caregiving behavior checklist, were used to measure the flexibility of the parental visiting environment and parents' stress levels. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently and were initially analyzed as separate data sets. Data collection extended from March 11, 2018 to June 30. 2018 and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients.RESULTS: There was a negative correlation (r=−.30, p=.021) between parental stress and the total number of visits in 7 days. We also found that the average duration of each visit and the number of caregiving behaviors performed by parents were positively correlated (r=.73, p<.001).CONCLUSION: When designing a flexible visiting environment for parents, parents should be encouraged to visit their babies. By doing so, stress can be reduced both for babies and for parents. Therefore, it is suggested that the related polices and regulations in South Korea should be changed to provide more a flexible visiting environment to promote better parent-child attachment and family adjustment.
Checklist ; Data Collection ; Dataset ; Family Nursing ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Parents ; Pliability ; Social Control, Formal ; Stress, Psychological ; Visitors to Patients

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors contributing to female university nursing students' intention of breast milk storage. METHODS: Participants in the survey for this study were 680 students in 3 university of 3 cities. The data were collected using self-report structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics of a mean±sd, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS/Win 22.0 programme. RESULTS: The average intention level for breast milk storage was 10.80±2.31 out of a 15 point scale, slightly over the half, which means the degree of feasibility to implement breastfeeding in the future. Based on the regression analysis of the survey results, it was found that the major factors influencing the intention to breast milk storage include attitude (β=0.39, p < 0.001), norm (β=0.34, p < 0.001), maternity nursing subject completion status (β=0.21, p < 0.001), class year (β=0.18, p < 0.001), knowledge for breast milk storage (β=0.16, p < 0.001), and smoking (β=0.06, p=0.038). These factors explained 42.7% of the female university nursing students' intention to store breast milk storage. CONCLUSION: These factors should be considered in the development of breast milk storage education programs for woman.
Breast Feeding ; Breast ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intention ; Maternal-Child Nursing ; Milk, Human ; Nursing ; Pregnancy ; Smoke ; Smoking

Nurses are key players in the newborn screening (NBS) program. The inherited nature of the conditions included in the NBS panel means that nurses should be competent in integrating genetics in their practice. However, studies suggest inadequate preparation of nurses in incorporating genetics in their practice. This article aims to discuss how nurses can capitalize on existing population-based genetics programs such as newborn screening to enhance their clinical practice through genetics. An overview of the newborn screening program in the Philippines is provided as well as a discussion on the roles of nurses in genetics in the context of NBS, and a brief discussion of future directions of the Philippine newborn screening program and how this may impact nursing education and research.

PURPOSE: The study was conducted to measure stratum corneum hydration (SCH) and pH (SCP) in high-risk newborns in the early postnatal period and to explore the features related to patterns of change in those parameters. METHODS: SCH and SCP were measured on the dorsal hand in 99 hospitalized newborns during the first 14 days of life and the results were analyzed using a general linear model. RESULTS: The mean hydration was 42.9% on day 1, which decreased to 34.6% by 2 weeks (F=15.61, p= < .001). An association was observed between SCH and prematurity (F=21.12, p < .001), as well as for their interaction (F=8.11, p < .001). The mean SCP was 6.2±0.3 on day 1, and decreased to 5.7±0.2 (F=95.75, p < .001), with no association with prematurity. After adjusting for birth weight, SCH was higher in newborns with vaginal delivery (F=9.07, p=.023) and who received phototherapy (F=11.81, p=.011). For SCP, only delivery type had a significant influence (F=6.40, p=.044). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that SCH is typically in the 30% range during the early postnatal period, and that an acid mantle on the SC surface is very unlikely to form; these findings could be applied to the nursing process for promoting skin integrity in high-risk neonates.
Birth Weight ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Linear Models ; Nursing Process ; Phototherapy ; Skin ; Skin Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a neonatal nursing practice program for nursing students on students' stress, self-efficacy, and confidence. METHODS: A 1-group pre- and post- study design was used. The participants consisted of 64 nursing students who were in a pediatric nursing clinical practicum at a nursing college in Seoul from September 2015 to May 2016. The program consisted of 3 stages-orientation, practice, and debriefing-and was conducted for 3 hours during a 2-week period of the pediatric nursing clinical practicum. The dependent variables were neonatal nursing practice stress, self-efficacy, and confidence. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test, the Pearson correlation coefficient, the x² test, and descriptive statistics with SPSS for Windows version 22.0. RESULTS: The neonatal nursing practice program was effective at decreasing clinical practice-related stress and increasing confidence and self-efficacy regarding neonatal nursing practice. CONCLUSION: The neonatal nursing practice program may effectively promote the integration of theoretical knowledge and practice. In the future, we propose to develop various educational programs that reinforce basic nursing skills for neonates as part of an effective pediatric nursing clinical practicum.
Clinical Competence ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neonatal Nursing* ; Nursing ; Nursing, Practical ; Pediatric Nursing ; Preceptorship ; Self Efficacy ; Seoul ; Stress, Psychological ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a maternal role adjustment program on first-time mothers. METHODS: The research was quasi-experimental with a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Participants were first-time mothers admitted to two postpartum clinics at women's hospitals. The experimental group had 38 mothers and the control group had 35 mothers. A maternal role adjustment program was applied individually to the experimental group between the 1st and 2nd weeks after childbirth. Assessing Adaptation to Motherhood, Semantic Differential Scale-Myself as Mother, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to measure effects of the program. A pre-test was conducted in the 1st week after childbirth while post-tests were conducted in the 4th and 6th weeks. Data were analyzed with χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS 24.0. RESULTS: Maternal role adjustment (F=6.17, p=.015) and maternal identity (F=6.63, p=.012) were significantly increased in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. However, the difference in postpartum depression (F=1.11, p=.335) was not statistically significant between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The maternal role adjustment program can be utilized as an effective nursing intervention program to enhance maternal role adjustment and maternal identity for first-time mothers.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Depression, Postpartum ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal Behavior ; Mother-Child Relations ; Mothers* ; Nursing ; Parturition ; Postpartum Period ; Semantic Differential

PURPOSE: This study compared nursing frequency, nursing time, and nursing intervention priorities depending on the method of neonatal induced hypothermia. METHODS: We observed 15 neonatal subjects receiving therapeutic hypothermia for 3 days each. Forty-five nurses experienced with nursing neonatal patients under therapeutic hypothermia provided responses about nursing intervention priorities. Analyses with the chi-square, the Fisher exact test, the paired t-test, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were performed on the data using SAS version 9.4. RESULTS: The frequency of nursing activities was higher for selective head therapeutic hypothermia (SHTH) than for systemic therapeutic hypothermia (STH), and nursing time was also significantly longer. In terms of nursing intervention priorities, there were priority differences in “risk for ineffective thermoregulation” and “risks for impaired skin integrity” for SHTH compared to STH . CONCLUSION: Since SHTH for neonatal therapeutic hypothermia requires more nursing time and frequent nursing activities than STH, STH is therefore recommended if the therapeutic efficacy is similar. Appropriate nursing personnel should be allocated for neonatal SHTH nursing. Nurses should be aware of nursing interventions for therapeutic hypothermia as the priorities are different for different methods of neonatal therapeutic hypothermia.
Head ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Hypothermia, Induced* ; Infant, Newborn ; Methods* ; Neonatal Nursing ; Nursing* ; Skin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the meaning and essence of a mother's experience of hospitalization of her newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: This study employed a qualitative research design. An interview was conducted with a mother whose newborn was hospitalized in the NICU, and the data were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological method. RESULTS: Five main themes and 19 formulated meanings were indentified. The 5 themes were ‘drowning in pain’, ‘just look outside the glass door’, ‘being a pillar’, ‘a deepening attachment’, and ‘prepare for nurturing with hope’. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provided an in-depth understanding of the experience of a mother with a newborn in the NICU. These results can be used in the development of a nursing intervention program that provides psychological and emotional support to the mother and family.
Glass ; Hospitalization* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Methods ; Mothers ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research