Quality Improvement Intervention Decreases Pain and Adverse Events Due to Heel Lances in Infants.

Background: Studies have investigated ways to reduce infants' pain during heel lancing, but research on preventing adverse events is scarce. This study investigated whether or not the number of infants with normal comfort (>8 and ≤14), distress (≤4), and pain (≤4) scores increased and whether or not the number of adverse events (blue and/or edematous heels and improperly placed incisions) decreased during and after heel lancing following an intervention.

Methods: A pre- and post-quality improvement intervention including 189 and 186 heel lances, respectively, in infants (postmenstrual age ≥ 28 + 0 to ≤ 43 + 6 weeks) was conducted in May to July 2020 and April to July 2022.

Factors contributing to implementation of a father-friendly neonatal intensive care unit in Denmark.

Objective: Although family-centred care (FCC) is recommended in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), barriers still exist. This study aimed to identify and understand and nurse-related factors contributing to the implementation of a father-friendly NICU (FF-NICU).

Methods: Eleven pre- and post-implementation focus groups were conducted with 21 nurses.

Warming Prior to Heel Stick: Blood Sample Quality and Infant Comfort-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Capillary blood sampling (heel stick) in infants is commonly performed in neonatal care units. Before the procedure, warming the infant's heel is often a customary practice, but no consensus exists on the most effective heel-warming method.

Purpose: To compare the effects of routinely used warming methods (glove, gel pack, or blanket) applied prior to heel stick on blood sample quality and infant's comfort.

Developing and Implementing a Father-Friendly Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Improved Nurses' Self-Efficacy.

Background: The need for paternal support is rarely addressed in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Neonatal nurses often primarily focus on the needs of the mother and infant and may not be trained in support of fathers.

Purpose: To investigate nurses' self-efficacy (SE) in guiding and supporting fathers after implementing a father-friendly NICU.

Parents' Perception of Staff Support in a Father-Friendly Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, play a central role in supporting parents during their stay in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Fathers often have their own support needs; however, studies have shown that these needs are rarely met to the same degree as those of the mothers. We developed a "father-friendly NICU" with the aim of providing good-quality care to the entire family.

Parents' comfort and staffs' working-environment when infants are sitting skin-to-skin: a randomised controlled trial comparing a recliner and a hospital bed.

Skin-to-skin contact between parents and preterm infants is recommended because it has proven to be valuable for the infants' development and healing. However, it can be difficult to comply with this guideline and still ensure a good working environment for the staff.This randomised controlled trial compared a new recliner developed in collaboration with parents and staff with a hospital bed for use in neonatal and maternity care using parents' rating of own comfort/discomfort, self-reliance, and felt security, and the chair's/bed's functionality at two different days (Q1 and Q2) of hospitalisation.

Fathers' Stress in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Healthcare professionals in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) tend to focus attention on the mothers and the newborn infants. Thus, fathers may find it difficult to establish an optimal father-child relationship and their stress may increase and persist during hospitalization.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of a more father-friendly NICU on paternal stress and their participation in childcare.

Participatory Action Research in the Field of Neonatal Intensive Care: Developing an Intervention to Meet the Fathers' Needs. A Case Study.

Background: In neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) health care professionals typically give most of their attention to the infants and the mothers while many fathers feel uncertain and have an unmet need for support and guidance. This paper describes and discusses participatory action research (PAR) as a method to improve NICUs' service for fathers. Our goal is to develop a father-friendly NICU where both the needs of fathers and mothers are met using an approach based on PAR that involves fathers, mothers, interdisciplinary healthcare professionals, and managers.