PURPOSE: A National survey was conducted to assess neonatal intensive care nurses' practice, barriers, knowledge, and belief regarding Kangaroo Care (KC). METHODS: A descriptive survey was conducted. Kangaroo care questionares were sent to nurses in all hospitals in Korea whose were identified as providing neonatal intensive care services(N=263). Descriptive statistics were used to summarized the data. RESULTS: Among 67 neonatal care units, 61.1% adapted KC in their practice. About 60% of nurses in the KC providing hospital actually practiced KC. Major barrier of practicing KC were infant safety concerns, as well as work load of nurses. Respondants who had practiced KC were more knowledgable and were more positive in their belief regarding KC. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that in order to overcome barriers of practicing KC, educational programs are recommended designed for nurses. In addition, development of KC practice guideline is necessary to facilicate successful and safe KC.
Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method ; Korea ; Macropodidae ; Practice Patterns, Nurses'

PURPOSE: This study was intended to standardize the Kangaroo care protocol for fathers, and to determine the effect of fathers' Kangaroo care experience on paternal attachment.METHODS: The data was collected from February to April, 2013. The study subjects were 34 fathers (17 experimental group subjects, 17 control group subjects) of premature babies, bornatatertiaryhospitalinSeoul, who agreed to participate. The standardized Kangaroo care protocol, which consisted of at least three 60-minutes sessions during the hospitalization period in a neonatal intensive care unit, was carried out with the experimental group. The data was analyzed by a χ2-test and Mann-Whitney U test.RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1) There were no between-group differences in the general characteristics of babies and their fathers. 2) The Kangaroo care fathers showed higher scores of paternal attachment than the control group (Z=-3.657, p=0.008).CONCLUSION: Fathers who attended the Kangaroo care sessions showed stronger paternal attachment than those who did not. Therefore, use of a Kangaroo care program for fathers of premature babies at neonatal intensive care units is recommended.
Fathers ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method ; Macropodidae

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate nursing students' knowledge and beliefs about Kangaroo care (KC). METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Undergraduate students enrolled in departments of nursing (n=322) from three universities in D city participated. Knowledge and beliefs about KC were measured using the Kangaroo Care Questionnaire (KCQ). RESULTS: The overall level of nursing students' knowledge about KC was very low with a mean score of 6.9 out of 17. The mean score for nursing students' beliefs about KC was 87.4 out of 100, indicating relatively positive beliefs. The students who had both education and exposure to KC had higher scores for knowledge and more positive beliefs about KC compared to students with no experience or exposure to KC. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and beliefs about KC (r=.371, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that there is a need to develop educational programs for nursing students in order to increase their knowledge and develop positive beliefs about KC.
Education ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method ; Macropodidae* ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing*

PURPOSE: It is critical that evidence from research is applied to everyday nursing practice to improve the quality of care and health outcomes. Aims of this study were to review high-risk infant related studies published in major nursing and non-nursing journals in Korea and to assess the quality of intervention studies. METHODS: Through the Korean literature search engine of RISS.KR the authors identified 132 studies, and two researchers evaluated each of these studies using the analysis criteria. The quality of intervention studies was assessed using the van Tulder Scale. RESULTS: Among the studies, 40.2% were either thesis or dissertation and 86.4% were quantitative studies. Convenience sampling was the most commonly used sampling method. All experimental studies were quasi-experiment except one pre-experiment study. Sensory stimulation and kangaroo care were the most common interventions for high-risk infants. Over half of the intervention studies were assessed to be "low risk of bias" but both randomization and blinding processes were not adequately satisfied in most of the studies. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study suggest that high-risk infants are more likely to be recruited for experimental studies but types of interventions were very limited. To provide evidence-based care for high-risk infants, rigorously conducted experimental studies should be encouraged.
Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Clinical Trial* ; Korea ; Macropodidae ; Nursing ; Random Allocation ; Search Engine

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the safety of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and to analyze its medical and psychological effects. METHODS: Forty five preterm infants, admitted to Gangnam Severance Hospital NICU from October 2012 to September 2013, were recruited. KMC was performed for 1 hour daily until the discharge by either mother or father. The medical effects in KMC group were compared with historical control group. Psychological effects in KMC group were made a comparison with the non-KMC group. RESULTS: The mean gestational age was 31.3+/-3.5 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 1,080+/-250 g. KMC was started at the mean age of 18.3+/-8.4 days. No event of hypothermia, bradycardia, desaturation, or hypotension occurred. There was no event of death or sepsis. Four patients (9%) had apnea but recovered after the tactile stimulation. Duration of the hospitalization in KMC group was significantly shorter than control group (P=0.041). Spielberger's anxiety scale decreased from 49.7 to 48.5. Muller's maternal attachment inventory increased from 98.4 to 99.5. Reduction of the self-happiness score improved from 5% to 70%. The score for Spielberger's anxiety scale tended to be lower in the KMC group than in the control group without statistically significant. Muller's maternal attachment inventory score was significantly higher in the KMC group. CONCLUSION: KMC is a safe method to Korean preterm infants. Due to reduction of hospitalization and beneficial psychological effect, we believe that offering KMC to more preterm infants as a supplement therapy will be useful.
Anxiety ; Apnea ; Birth Weight ; Bradycardia ; Fathers ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Hypothermia ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method* ; Korea* ; Macropodidae* ; Mothers ; Sepsis

Animal shoulder models are important in the investigation of the natural history of various pathologic conditions and for evaluation of the effectiveness of different treatments and biomaterials. The characteristics of animal shoulder models that may be used for rotator cuff related experiments are different with regard to the anatomy, behavioral pattern, advantages and disadvantages in application to each other. The lower primates and all the non-primate species, except the tree kangaroo, were neither functional overhead nor had a true rotator cuff. Utilizing more advanced primates, or perhaps even the tree kangaroo would be ideal and the most relevant to man as they possess a true rotator cuff. However, ethical concerns, costs, and many limitations in obtaining primates generally preclude the use of these animals for such research. Finally we should consider the differences in comparative anatomy and behavioral pattern of each animal model during performance or interpretation of rotator cuff experiments.
Anatomy, Comparative ; Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Macropodidae ; Models, Animal ; Natural History ; Primates ; Rotator Cuff* ; Shoulder*

Animal shoulder models are important in the investigation of the natural history of various pathologic conditions and for evaluation of the effectiveness of different treatments and biomaterials. The characteristics of animal shoulder models that may be used for rotator cuff related experiments are different with regard to the anatomy, behavioral pattern, advantages and disadvantages in application to each other. The lower primates and all the non-primate species, except the tree kangaroo, were neither functional overhead nor had a true rotator cuff. Utilizing more advanced primates, or perhaps even the tree kangaroo would be ideal and the most relevant to man as they possess a true rotator cuff. However, ethical concerns, costs, and many limitations in obtaining primates generally preclude the use of these animals for such research. Finally we should consider the differences in comparative anatomy and behavioral pattern of each animal model during performance or interpretation of rotator cuff experiments.
Anatomy, Comparative ; Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Macropodidae ; Models, Animal ; Natural History ; Primates ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the components and content of nursing intervention studies on mother-infant interactions and to present strategies for future studies. METHODS: Four electronic databases in the Korean language were searched to identify studies done between January 1998 and December 2011. The search yielded 145 articles. From these articles, 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Mother-infant interactions in these studies were found to include verbal and non-verbal communication basic for optimal growth and development of the child. Six kinds of interventions for mother-infant interactions were identified as follows: sensory stimulation, education program, whole body massage, kangaroo care, visiting support, and music therapy. CONCLUSION: Further studies with well designed clinical trials need to be done in the area of child nursing to provide evidence based data for the development of strategies to promote positive mother-infant interactions.
Child ; Education ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Clinical Trial* ; Macropodidae ; Massage ; Mother-Child Relations* ; Music Therapy ; Nursing* ; Parent-Child Relations

PURPOSE: This paper identified the effects of kangaroo care (KC) on maternal self-esteem and the growth and physiological stability of premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS: The experiment was conducted with an experimental group of 17 infants, and a control group of 17 infants selected by convenience sampling. KC was given to the infants one time a day for 30 minutes after feeding for two weeks. Their weight was measured every morning, and their physiological stability was measured in terms of their body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and stability of the cardio-respiratory system in premature infants (SCRIP) score, as physiological responses at every 10 minutes during the intervention. Maternal self-esteem was assessed by a maternal self-report inventory. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant increase in the self-esteem of mothers. Also, KC was effective on physiological stabilization of preterm infants. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that KC can be provided in clinical settings more widely in Korea as one of the nursing interventions aimed at promoting maternal self-esteem as well as infants' physiological stabilization.
Body Temperature ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Macropodidae ; Mothers ; Oxygen ; Respiratory Rate

PURPOSE: To identify the perception and practices of kangaroo care in nurses and doctors working in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Korea. METHODS: One hundred forty-nine nurses and nineteen doctors working in the NICU from six university hospitals completed a survey questionnaire. RESULTS: Most agreed that Kangaroo care promoted attachment and parental confidence as well as physical health of the infant. However, nurses and doctors showed a negative perception in providing kangaroo care for premature infants under 1,000 grams or within several hours after birth. Major barriers for kangaroo care were worrying about extubation and safety problems of premature infants. Married or senior nurses showed a more positive perception than others. Also nurses who worked in hospitals where kangaroo care was provided had a lower barrier perception than other nurses. CONCLUSION: Nurses and doctors working in NICU worried about adverse effects of kangaroo care even though they perceived positive effects. Standard education programs and manuals should be developed before dissemination of kangaroo care in Korea.
Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Care ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Macropodidae ; Parents ; Parturition ; Child Health