Parent Perspectives on Communication Quality in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Though prior literature has demonstrated that communication in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) needs to be improved, in-depth descriptions of parents' views of NICU communication are lacking.

Purpose: We sought (1) to explore parent perceptions of communication in the NICU and (2) to understand parents' communication needs and preferences.

Methods: We conducted in-depth semi-structured cognitive interviews utilizing concurrent probes with parents of 10 patients in our urban level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit over a period of 4 months (July 2021-October 2021).

Effect of Routine Nurse Caregiving on the Stress Responses and Behavior State in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review.

Background: Although routine nurse caregiving is vital for the overall health of preterm infants, variations in approaches may exert distinct effects on preterm infants' stress responses and behavior state.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine routine nurse caregiving in the neonatal intensive care unit and its effect on stress responses and behavior state in preterm infants.

Data Sources: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between 2013 and 2023.

Pilot Testing Transcreated Spanish-Language Study Materials for Symptom Research With Infants and Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Rising admission rates of Hispanic/Latinx families to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have increased the number of non-English-speaking individuals who may wish to participate in research studies. However, a lack of appropriately translated research study materials may limit the opportunity for these families to be involved in research that could impact the care that infants and families receive in the NICU.

Purpose: The primary purpose was to pilot test study materials that were transcreated from English to Spanish with the assistance of a bilingual community advisory board with Spanish-speaking parents of NICU infants.

Improving Self-Reported Person-centered Care Competency in Nursing Students: A Pilot Study Using Interactive Case Studies.

Background: To prepare nursing students to deliver high-quality care, educators need strategies to foster person-centered care (PCC).

Purpose: This pilot study evaluated an intervention with interactive case studies on undergraduate nursing students' PCC competency.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study with sophomore undergraduate nursing students ( n = 39) from a Midwestern US university.

Gut Microbiota and Symptom Expression and Severity in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) affecting neonates with fetal exposure to opioids, is defined by expression and severity of symptoms. The pathophysiology behind symptoms variability is lacking. The study aims were to examine (a) differences in gut microbiota of neonates with and without NAS, (b) the relationships between gut microbiota and symptom expression and NAS severity, and (c) the changes in the neonate gut microbiota diversity during the course of NAS treatment.

Using the life course health development model to address pediatric mental health disparities.

Topic: Early-life experiences, the transmission of health and disease within families, and the influence of cumulative risks as well as protective factors throughout life shape the trajectory of health, including mental health. Long-term health trajectories established early in life are influenced by biologic, social, and environmental factors. Negative trajectories may be more salient if exposures to adversity occur during critical developmental periods.

NANN Membership Recommendations: Opportunities to Advance Racial Equity Within the Organization.

Background: Neonatal care has advanced significantly in recent years, yet racial health inequities persist in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with infants from racial and ethnic minority groups less likely to receive recommended treatment. Healthcare providers acknowledge that there are steps that can be taken to increase knowledge and awareness regarding health inequities.

Purpose: To better understand current health equity-related initiatives in the neonatal community and solicit feedback from National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) membership about advancing racial equity within the organization.

Parent Perspectives on Defining Neonatal Serious Illness.

We hoped to understand (1) how parents of seriously ill neonatal intensive care unit patients conceptualize neonatal serious illness, and (2) how parent and physician perspectives on neonatal serious illness might differ. This was a prospective survey study. Parent members of the Courageous Parents Network.

Defining Neonatal Serious Illness: Perspectives of Nurses and Social Workers.

To explore (1) how neonatal nurses (NN) and social workers (SW) define serious illness and (2) how physician, nurse, and SW perceptions of serious illness differ. Prospective survey study. Members of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses or the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers.

Inclusion of Spanish-Speaking Families in NICU Symptom Research Using a Community Advisory Board.

Background: Admission rates of Hispanic/Latinx families to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are rising, yet knowledge regarding their experiences is limited. Non-English-speaking families are often excluded from research because study measures are not available in their language. The inclusion of these families in NICU research is crucial to understand the impact of cultural and language barriers in infant and family care, and the translation of study measures into Spanish could better ensure that these families' perspectives are included.

Characteristics of Critically Ill Infants at the End of Life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

About 16,000 infants die in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) each year with many experiencing invasive medical treatments and high number of symptoms. To inform better management, we characterized diagnoses, symptoms, and patterns of care among infants who died in the NICU. Retrospective electronic medical record (EMR) review of 476 infants who died following admission to a large regional level IV NICU in the United States over a 10-year period.

Preliminary Validation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Research suggests families whose infants are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience elevated distress and may have pre-existing risk factors for maladjustment. This study sought to validate the newly developed Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT-NICU/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit [CICU]), a comprehensive screening measure for family psychosocial risk in the NICU.

Methods: The sample included 171 mothers, who completed the PAT-NICU/CICU and other related measures within 2 weeks of their infant's NICU admission at a level 4 unit within a large pediatric hospital.

Building Strong Clinician-Researcher Collaborations for Successful Hospice and Palliative Care Research.

Hospice and palliative care research aim to build a knowledge base to guide high-quality care for people with serious illness and improve their quality of life. Considering its focus on patient and family caregiver's experiences, hospice and palliative care research activities primarily take place in real-world clinical settings where seriously ill patients and their family caregivers receive care (eg, nursing homes, clinics, inpatient units). Conducting research in these settings poses many challenges because researchers, clinicians, and administrators may have different priorities-and scientific control is difficult.

End-of-Life Healthcare Service Needs Among Children With Neurological Conditions: A Latent Class Analysis.

BACKGROUND: At the end of life, children with neurological conditions have complex healthcare needs that can be met by providing care of their life-limiting conditions concurrently with hospice care (ie, concurrent care). Given the limited literature on concurrent care for children with neurologic conditions, this investigation aimed to identify patterns of nonhospice, healthcare service needs and to assess characteristics of children within each group. METHODS: A nationally representative sample children with neurological conditions enrolled in concurrent hospice care was used.

Predictive Ability of an Illness Severity Measure: Implications for Nursing Research.

Background And Purpose: Illness severity among children with life-limiting illnesses is measured with the pediatric complex chronic conditions (CCC) measure. Developed in 2000/2001, it was revised in 2014 to include infant-specific categories.

Methods: Discrimination, calibration, accuracy, and validation tests were used to examine the predictive performance of the measures.

Parent Perceptions of Infant Symptoms and Suffering and Associations With Distress Among Bereaved Parents in the NICU.

Context: Healthcare providers and parents face many challenges caring for infants at the end of life (EOL). Symptom assessment and management in critically ill infants can be especially difficult. However, the impact of the infant's EOL experience on bereaved parents is largely unknown.

Documentation of Sleep Hygiene With Melatonin Use in Management of Sleep Disturbance in Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Quality Improvement Project.

Introduction: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve health-care provider consistency in addressing and documenting the use of sleep hygiene in children with neurodevelopmental disorders in alignment with evidence-based strategies.

Method: The project took place over 12 weeks and used a parent-completed screening tool and SmartPhrase technology incorporated into the patient note and discharge summary. A preimplementation and postimplementation query of the electronic medical record was used to determine change effectiveness.

Systematic review of family engagement interventions in neonatal, paediatric, and adult ICUs.

Aims And Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate interventions that have been used to engage families in direct care activities (active family engagement) in adult, paediatric, and neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) settings.

Background: Family engagement is universally advocated across ICU populations and practice settings; however, appraisal of the active family engagement intervention literature remains limited.

Search Strategy: Ovid Medline, PsycArticles & PsycInfo, Scopus, and CINAHL were searched for family interventions that involved direct care of the patient to enhance the psychological, physical, or emotional well-being of the patient or family in neonatal, paediatric, or adult ICUs.

Use of an Electronic Reporting Tool and Clinical Surveillance Process in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Decrease Risk for Central Venous Catheter Complications Associated With Tip Migration.

This quality improvement project formalized central venous catheter tip surveillance augmented by the use of electronic patient reporting tool. The project setting was a large level IV academic neonatal intensive care unit with a representative convenience sample of patients with central venous catheters and quality improvement reports of complications from tip migration. Providers received education before implementation of a central venous catheter tip surveillance program using a revised electronic reporting tool was initiated.

Behavioral Observation of Infants With Life-Threatening or Life-Limiting Illness in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit experience aversive stimuli that cause pain and distress. Maintaining adequate relief from pain and distress is challenging because of infants' varying ages and stages of development and their nonverbal status. Thus, pain and distress must be interpreted by a healthcare provider or other proxy from their own observations or perceptions.

Integrative Review of Gut Microbiota and Expression of Symptoms Associated With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Background: Neonatal exposure and subsequent withdrawal from maternal substance use disorder are a growing problem and consequence of the current opioid epidemic. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is defined by a specified cluster of symptoms with treatment guided by the expression and severity of these symptoms. The mechanisms or pathophysiology contributing to the development of NAS symptoms are not well known, but one factor that may influence NAS symptoms is the gut microbiota.