• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-22
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the gaps in research related to developmentally supportive care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The ultimate goal was to explore directions of further research on developmentally supportive care for premature patients. Methods: The Arksey and O'Malley scoping review method was used. Articles on developmentally supportive care for preterm infants in the NICU, written in English or Korean, were identified through electronic search engines. A total of 279 papers were identified in the initial search, of which 22 full-text papers were included in this review. Results: Several nursing studies have been published in the past 5 years. The important elements of developmentally supportive care were family-centered care and management of the NICU environment. The primary developmentally supportive care interventions were training programs to promote the care competency of NICU nurses. Conclusion: It is necessary to actively develop comprehensive developmental support interventions that consider the various elements of developmentally supportive care for preterm infants. Additional studies should be done to develop programs that provide direct intervention for premature infant and their families.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.142-153
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• 2022

Purpose: Preventing missed care is important in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) due to neonates' vulnerabilities. This study examined missed care and its influencing factors among NICU nurses. Methods: Missed care among 120 Korean NICU nurses was measured using a cross-culturally adapted online questionnaire. The frequency of missed care for 32 nursing activities and the significance of 23 reasons for missed care were collected. Results: All participants had missed at least 1 activity, missing on average 19.35 activities during a typical work-day. The most common missed item was "provide developmental care for the baby". The most common reason for missed care was "emergency within the unit or deterioration of one of the assigned patients". The final regression model explained 9.6% of variance in missed care. The average daily number of assigned patients receiving inotropes or sedation over the last month influenced the total number of missed care items. Conclusion: Missed care was affected by nurses' workload related to the number of patients taking medication. Frequently missed activities, especially those related to developmental care, require patience and time, conflicting with safety prioritization and inadequate working conditions. NICU nurses' working conditions should be improved to ensure adequate time for nursing activities.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.407-419
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• 2018

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.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2010

Purpose: To explore premature infants' pain response to routine procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The participants were 56 preterm infants who showed 149 pain responses to 8 high frequency routine procedures which were evaluated using the Premature Infant Pain Scale (PIPS). Videotaped recording was used for data collection. Data were analyzed with descriptive analysis, paired t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: PIPS scores for each procedure were as follows; for removal of central catheter dressing, 6.17 (2.04), venous sampling, 6.12 (2.87), intramuscular injection, 6.05 (2.38), insertion of a peripheral line, 5.38 (2.16), insertion of feeding tube, 4.40 (1.34), heel stick, 4.33 (1.23), insertion of central line, 4.00 (2.12), and endotracheal suctioning, 2.90 (1.25). PIPS score was negatively correlated with gestational age (r=-.218, p=.007) and birth weight (r=-.249, p=.002) among general characteristics of the infants. Conclusion: The majority of 8 routine procedures were found to be painful for premature infants in the NICU. Therefore, adequate pain management related to procedures should be provided to premature infant in the NICU.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.851-855
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• 2009

Death is not only a medical problem; it is also an ethical problem. When doctors face a dying neonate, their knowledge of bioethics and the opinions of ethical specialists and religious leaders are helpful for them and the family of the dying baby. In recent years, due to the increase of surviving babies who have suffered from severe illness, those born too small or too early, and those with severe anomalies in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), we have met with complicated bioethical problems frequently. To lessen the burdens of doctors and the parents of the dying baby, I reviewed medical, ethical and religious articles about bioethics in adult death. My suggestions are listed as follows: 1) regular bioethical education and activation of bioethical committees in NICU, 2) a well-controlled nationwide database, 3) a hospice unit space and programs for dying baby in NICU, and 4) social support for pregnant women and financial support for the NICU.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was done to develop a program to promote maternal role confidence and maternal attachment for mothers of premature infants and to evaluate the effects in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: This program was developed through a literature review and validation of an expert group, and tested with 60 preterm infants (experimental group 30, control group 30) in a NICU in South Korea. Data were collected from December 2017 to March 2018 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, $x^2-test$ and Fisher's exact test with the SPSS/Win statistical program. Results: Maternal role confidence for the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group (t=3.22, p=.002). Maternal attachment in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group (t=2.30, p=.025). Conclusion: The program developed in this study should be effective in promoting maternal role confidence and maternal attachment in mothers of premature infants.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' recognition and understanding of the clinical environment of high-risk neonatal nursing care after watching a documentary about the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where high-risk newborns are treated. Methods: This study was a qualitative content analysis. In total, 151 nursing students' personal essays describing their reactions to a documentary about the NICU were analyzed using the NVivo 12 program. Results: Nursing students' experiences of engaging with a documentary about the NICU were structured into four thematic categories: 'actual observations of the imagined NICU', 'observation and recognition of nursing knowledge', 'empathy with people related to the baby', and 'establishing attitudes and values as a nurse'. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that documentaries can be applied in nursing education about high-risk newborns.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.299-308
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• 2016

Purpose: To investigate the perception and barriers of Kangaroo-Mother Care (KMC) among nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Methods: Participants were 131 nurses working in NICU who completed self-report questionnaires which included information regarding perception, barriers, and practice of KMC. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program for descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Of the participants, 33.6% reported the practice of KMC in their NICU, with 75.6% wanting to receive training in KMC and 31.3% having received KMC education. Most of the participants agreed that KMC enhances attachment, parental confidence, and effective breast feeding but they reported a negative perception in providing KMC for premature infants weighing less than 1000 grams or intubated premature infants. Major barriers to practicing KMC were safety of infants, possible work overload for nurses, as well as absence of consistent guidelines. Barriers to KMC among nurses who received the KMC training were lower than nurses who did not receive the KMC training (t=-2.11, p=.037). Conclusion: Education program and standardized clinical practice protocol should be developed to foster the positive perception and to reduce nurse barriers to KMC.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.267-276
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to develop a performance appraisal tool (PAT) for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) registered nurses (RNs). Methods: The PAT was developed in three steps: 1) a standard of NICU nursing was established; 2) a draft was made; and 3) the PAT was ratified and its reliability and validity were tested. Results: The standard of practice of NICU nursing was predominantly based on role description and responsibilities for nurses. We identified 4 domains of nursing: professional practice, education, research, and leadership. The validity score for each item ranged from 3.93 to 3.27. The PAT consisted of 76 indicators, 49 reflecting components of professional practice, 5 related to responsibility for education, 3 representing research, and 19 relating to leadership. Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ averaged 0.99 for the 76 items. Conclusions: The PAT for NICU RNs that we created was found to be reliable and valid. This PAT would be very useful in evaluating nursing performance and facilitate the professional growth of nurses.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.297-307
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• 2021

Purpose: This descriptive study compared the perceived parental stress levels between parents with very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) and nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: In total, 83 parents of VLBWIs and 78 NICU nurses were enrolled. Data were collected with the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) and analyzed using the t-test and analysis of variance in SAS version 9.4. Results: The average PSS score was 3.31 among parents and 3.45 among nurses. The stress score was significantly higher among nurses with children (t=2.46, p=.016) and senior nurses (t=2.12, p=.037). There was a significant difference in the stress score according to parents' education (t=3.29, p=.002) and occupation (F=3.14, p=.049) in the sights and sounds subscale. Mothers had significantly higher stress scores than fathers in the parental role alterations subscale (t=2.32, p=.023). Parental stress scores were higher than those perceived by nurses in the infant's appearance and behaviors subscale for breathing patterns (t=2.95, p=.004), followed by jerky/ restless behavior (t=2.70, p=.008). Conclusion: Nurses should provide explanations to parents of VLBWIs in order to reduce parental stress about the appearances and behavior of VLBWIs. This is more important than aspect of the NICU environment and education about parental roles.