Research Nurses Collaborate with Clinical Nurses for Success in the National Children's Study

Conducting Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Research During a Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted normal clinical operations and research. Nurse scientists conducting research studies in the neonatal intensive care unit experienced significant challenges to continuing their research studies amid national lockdowns and hospital visitation restrictions.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges encountered by nurse scientists conducting research studies in the neonatal intensive care unit during the pandemic, the creative solutions devised to overcome these barriers, and the lessons learned during this unprecedented time.

METHODS

Using our pandemic area studies as exemplars, we highlight the barriers encountered in continuing our research in the intense environment of the neonatal intensive care unit.

RESULTS

Visitor restrictions limited the presence of parents and researchers in the neonatal intensive care unit during the pandemic, causing disruptions to participant recruitment and data collection. Laboratory closures further limited research activities during the pandemic. Strategies to overcome these barriers include building formal collaborations among researchers and clinicians, creating the infrastructure to support virtual recruitment and electronic consent, and developing contingency plans for studies involving the analysis of biological samples.

DISCUSSION

The neonatal intensive care unit is a unique environment because of vulnerable patient population and need for researchers to interact with parents to recruit study participants. Implementing the strategies developed during the coronavirus pandemic may allow for the continuation of research activities during future public health crises.

Maternal psychosocial determinants of fetal and infant health and the National Children's Study

The purpose of this article is to inform perinatal nurses about the longitudinal National Children's Study (NCS), which was mandated by Congress. The NCS was designed to follow infants from before birth to age 21, and researchers propose to study 100,000 children. This complex and extensive study will provide especially relevant information to perinatal nurses in practice, teaching, and research.