NICU Culture of Care for Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Focused Ethnography

SSSH: Responsive soothing bassinet feasibility study for infants with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery

PURPOSE

For infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) requiring surgery, prolonged hospital stays, intermittent caregiver visitation, and constrained unit staffing ratios present barriers to adequately address post-operative stressors and associated need to retain cognitive and physiological reserves. Similar patients requiring high-engagement interventions, such as hospitalized infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, have found success in utilizing responsive bassinets to soothe infants and save floor nurses' time. However, it remains unclear if such technology can be leveraged in the CHD population given their complex hemodynamics, feeding intolerance, and monitoring requirements.

METHODS

This multidisciplinary feasibility study evaluated responsive bassinet use in a cohort of infants with CHD <6 months of age in a medical-surgical unit at a midwestern children's hospital. Specifically assessing 1) implementation requirements, challenges, and potential of utilizing the device, together with 2) ability to perform bedside monitoring (monitoring) and 3) measuring physiologic trends during use.

RESULTS

Between 11/2020-1/2022, nine infants utilized a responsive bassinet over 599 h (mean 13, range 4-26 days per infant). No increase in monitoring alarms and accurate vital signs monitoring during bassinet activity were noted with appropriate physiologic responses for infants with single ventricle and biventricular surgeries.

CONCLUSIONS

Feasibility of introducing new technology into care, and successful use of its functionality for soothing was found to be plausible for infants with CHD.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

After cardiac surgery, infants with CHD have need for interventions to reduce stress. Use of a soothing bassinet has the potential to aid in doing so without interference with monitoring requirements.

Nursing in oncology ward with intertwined roles: a focused ethnography

BACKGROUND

Characteristics of nursing care in the oncology ward depend on this ward's specific context. This study aimed to investigate the nursing care in the oncology ward regarding the culture of this ward.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted in an oncology ward using a focused ethnographic approach. The whole nursing team of the selected ward (N = 16) participated in the study through purposeful sampling. Three methods of observation, interview, and field documents were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by Spradley's (1980) ethnographic method.

RESULTS

'Nursing in the oncology ward with intertwined roles' emerged as the main theme. This theme included the following subthemes: 'Robin Hood nurse,' 'a secretive nurse,' 'a negligent nurse,' 'a snitching nurse,' 'a complaining nurse,' 'an apathetic senior nurse,' 'a stigmatized training nurse,' 'a brazen-bodied nurse,' 'a compassionate nurse,' 'a moonlighting nurse,' and 'a drug bartender.'

CONCLUSION

This study provided a deep cultural insight into nursing care in the oncology ward, considering the particular culture of this ward and emphasizing the nurses' intertwined roles. These roles are on a spectrum, with positive roles, such as compassion, on one side and negative roles, such as negligence, on the other. The results of this study can be provided to nursing managers; therefore, by being aware of nurses' roles considering the specific subculture of the oncology ward, they can provide psychological interventions to improve the mental health of reluctant and complaining nurses and ethics-based training for secretive, negligent, and snitching nurses to provide quality care to the patient.

Factors Associated with Maternal Engagement in Infant Care When Mothers Use Substances

Introduction

Mothers who use substances can play a key role in the treatment and care of their infants. However, challenges exist to engaging these mothers in the care of their infant. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with maternal engagement in infant care when mothers are experiencing substance use disorders.

Materials and Methods

A systematic search was conducted using the databases of CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, and PubMed along with a manual search of Google Scholar between the years of 2012 and 2022. Studies were included if they were (1) original qualitative research; (2) published in English; (3) peer reviewed; (4) from the perspective of mothers who use substances or nurses; (5) included descriptions of interactions between mothers who use substances and their infants during postpartum care, and/or in the nursery or neonatal intensive care unit; and (6) conducted in the United States. The studies were assessed for quality and validity using 10 criteria from the Joanne Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research.

Results

Findings from 22 qualitative studies were synthesized using a thematic synthesis approach and revealed 3 overarching themes that included 7 descriptive subthemes that identified factors to maternal engagement. The seven descriptive subthemes included: (1) Attitudes Toward Mothers Who Use Substances; (2) Knowledge on Addiction; (3) Complicated Backgrounds; (4) Emotional Experiences; (5) Managing Infant Symptoms; (6) Model of Postpartum Care; and (7) Hospital Routines.

Discussion

Participants described stigma from nurses, complex backgrounds of mothers who use substances, and postpartum models that influenced mothers' engagement in infants' care. The findings suggest several clinical implications for nurses. Nurses should manage their biases and approach mothers who use substances in a respectful manner, increase their knowledge of issues and care related to addiction in the perinatal period, and promote family-centered approaches to care.

Conclusion

The findings of 22 qualitative studies described factors associated with maternal engagement in mothers who use substances that were integrated using a thematic synthesis method. Mothers who use substances have complex backgrounds and experience stigma which can negatively impact their engagement with their infants.

“We Have to Keep Advocating and Helping and Doing What We Can”: Examining Perinatal Substance Use Services in the Absence of Integrated Treatment Programs

Effective treatment of substance-exposed pregnancies requires gender-responsive care coordinated across agencies and systems. A deeper understanding of the perspectives, experience, and practices of professionals providing these services is needed to improve care. This study examines service provision for perinatal substance use through the perspectives and experiences of healthcare and social service professionals. Using a constructivist grounded theory design, data were collected over a 7-year period. Data collection consisted of interviews and focus groups with professionals as well as observations of professional meetings and workshops where practices and procedures were discussed. A multi-level model of service delivery is described. The role of affect, particularly around issues of custody, is discussed along with structural level actions that develop in the absence of integrated treatment. Structural support both within and across systems of care is crucial to developing coordinated and compassionate care and to increasing engagement in care services.

Exploration of the Care Giving Dynamic Between NICU Nurses and Mothers with a Substance-Exposed Pregnancy

PURPOSE

To explore the caregiving dynamic between NICU nurses and mothers with a substance-exposed pregnancy (SEP) by examining how nurses view these mothers compared to mothers without an SEP.

DESIGN

A qualitative design using interviews with NICU nurses who care for infants and families with an SEP.

SAMPLE

The sample (n = 9) was all female, with an average of approximately 10 years of nursing experience in the NICU, with two-thirds having achieved a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or higher.

MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE

Perceptions of nurses working with families affected by an SEP.

RESULTS

Stigmatized views and trust issues shaped nurses' views of mothers with an SEP as different from other mothers. Empathy levels toward mothers differed related to nurses' views of substance use as either a moral decision or chronic disease. These viewpoints shaped the nurse's judgment of the mother's potential to provide a safe environment and independently care for the infant at home. Nurses described personal distress when caring for these families.

Ethnographic research as an evolving method for supporting healthcare improvement skills: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

The relationship between ethnography and healthcare improvement has been the subject of methodological concern. We conducted a scoping review of ethnographic literature on healthcare improvement topics, with two aims: (1) to describe current ethnographic methods and practices in healthcare improvement research and (2) to consider how these may affect habit and skill formation in the service of healthcare improvement.

METHODS

We used a scoping review methodology drawing on Arksey and O'Malley's methods and more recent guidance. We systematically searched electronic databases including Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL for papers published between April 2013 - April 2018, with an update in September 2019. Information about study aims, methodology and recommendations for improvement were extracted. We used a theoretical framework outlining the habits and skills required for healthcare improvement to consider how ethnographic research may foster improvement skills.

RESULTS

We included 283 studies covering a wide range of healthcare topics and methods. Ethnography was commonly used for healthcare improvement research about vulnerable populations, e.g. elderly, psychiatry. Focussed ethnography was a prominent method, using a rapid feedback loop into improvement through focus and insider status. Ethnographic approaches such as the use of theory and focus on every day practices can foster improvement skills and habits such as creativity, learning and systems thinking.

CONCLUSIONS

We have identified that a variety of ethnographic approaches can be relevant to improvement. The skills and habits we identified may help ethnographers reflect on their approaches in planning healthcare improvement studies and guide peer-review in this field. An important area of future research will be to understand how ethnographic findings are received by decision-makers.

Nurses' Descriptions of Interactions When Caring for Women With Perinatal Substance Use Disorders and Their Infants

The purpose of this review is to describe health care interactions between nurses and women with perinatal substance use disorders, including interactions with their infants from the perspective of the nurses. Findings from 11 qualitative inclusion articles were synthesized using a metasummary approach. The majority of articles showed that nurses experience problematic interactions when providing care to women with perinatal substance use disorders and their infants, although some results indicated that some nurses engage in interactions that are assuring. Six types of conflictual interactions were identified: inadequate care, distressing, condemning, deficient knowledge, rejecting, and dissatisfying. Two types of therapeutic interactions were identified: compassionate and supportive. The findings underscore the importance of managing stigma, enhancing knowledge of the science of addiction processes, and promoting best practices when caring for this population.

The Complexities Associated with Caring for Hospitalised Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: The Perspectives of Nurses and Midwives

The global incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has increased significantly in the last decade. Symptoms of NAS manifest from the central and autonomic nervous systems as well as the gastrointestinal system and vary in severity and duration. The clinical management of infants experiencing NAS is dependent on symptoms and may include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. In cases where symptoms are severe, infants may be admitted to special care nurseries or neonatal intensive care units. Existing research on nurses' involvement in caring for infants with NAS focuses on pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to treat physical symptoms associated with NAS. This research sought to add to the body of knowledge around NAS and conveys nurses' and midwives' experiences of delivering care for infants with NAS. Semi-structured interviews were held with nine nurses/midwives. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Five themes emerged from the data. These themes are: Complex care needs; Prioritising physiological care; Experiencing compassion fatigue; Lacking continuity of care; and Stigma. The findings demonstrated the complex nature of care provision for infants with NAS. Competing priorities and the stigmatising nature of NAS threaten optimal care being delivered to these vulnerable infants and their parents.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Exploring Nurses' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Practice

BACKGROUND

As opioid abuse increases in the United States, the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) rises dramatically. Caring for infants with NAS and their families is a significant challenge to neonatal nurses.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this survey study was to explore attitudes and practice trends among nurses caring for infants with NAS. The study also aimed to identify any gaps in knowledge about NAS.

METHOD

An anonymous, cross-sectional survey study was conducted using a researcher-developed questionnaire. The survey questionnaire included 20 Likert-scale questions regarding nurses' attitudes, knowledge, and practice in care of infants with NAS, 1 case study with 3 questions, and 2 open-ended questions. Nurses, including advanced practice nurses and nurse leaders, were invited to participate at a regional neonatal nursing conference in the New England area.

RESULTS

A total of 54 participants responded, the majority being white, female, non-Hispanic, and bachelor's prepared. Many nurses shared concerns regarding the setting in which infants with NAS are cared for. Nurses expressed varying attitudes regarding interacting with the mothers but generally wanted to build a partnership with them. Nurses also reported a lack of standardized and consistent practice in care for infants with NAS. Three major themes were identified from open-ended questions, including environmental issues, relationship with the mother, and inconsistency in care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Further research is needed for nurses providing care to infants with NAS. Specific education programs are needed for nurses who are caring for infants with NAS.

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH

Further research is needed regarding the effects of NAS on nurses and other healthcare providers.