Oral Sucrose Versus Breastfeeding in Managing Infants' Immunization-Related Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Treating pain during immunization should be a part of pediatric primary healthcare around the world, as untreated pain in children has short- and long-term consequences. Few studies of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods of pain relief during immunization have been conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Finding pain-mitigating interventions that are low-cost, effective, and feasible across all settings, including with low-resourced settings could improve primary healthcare.

Caring about Preemies' Safe Sleep (CaPSS): An Educational Program to Improve Adherence to Safe Sleep Recommendations by Mothers of Preterm Infants.

Preterm infants born before 37 weeks' gestation die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at a rate more than double that of term infants. There is a need for SIDS prevention programs tailored to the specific needs of parents of high-risk infants. The purpose of this study was to pilot test an online educational module addressing SIDS risk-reduction recommendations (RRRs) for parents of preterm infants.

Implementing a Systematic Process for Consistent Nursing Care in a NICU: A Quality Improvement Project.

Aim: The global aim of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement a systematic process to assign and maintain consistent bedside nurses for infants and families.

Methods: A systematic process based on a primary care nursing model was implemented to assign consistent care for a 48-bed, single-family room NICU.

Results: Four PDSA cycles were necessary to obtain agreement from the nursing staff as to the best process for assigning primary nurses.

The History and State of Neonatal Nursing Quality Improvement Practice and Education.

Quality improvement has evolved rapidly in neonatal nursing. This review outlines the history and current state of quality improvement practice and education in neonatal nursing. The future of neonatal nursing includes a stronger emphasis on quality improvement in advanced practice education that promotes doctoral projects that result in clinical improvements.

Safe Sleep Infant Care Practices Reported by Mothers of Twins.

Background: The high prevalence of prematurity and low birth-weight places twin infants at increased risk for sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and/or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Risk for these SUID and SIDS is affected by a combination of nonmodifiable intrinsic risk factors and modifiable extrinsic stressors including infant care practices related to sleep. Although adherence to the full scope of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2011 recommendations is intended to decrease risk, these recommendations are aimed at singleton infants and may require tailoring for families with multiple infants.

Neonates and Infants Discharged Home Dependent on Medical Technology: Characteristics and Outcomes.

Background: Preterm neonates and neonates with complex conditions admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may require medical technology (eg, supplemental oxygen, feeding tubes) for their continued survival at hospital discharge. Medical technology introduces another layer of complexity for parents, including specialized education about neonatal assessment and operation of technology. The transition home presents a challenge for parents and has been linked with greater healthcare utilization.

Supports and Barriers to Successful Progression in a DNP Program: Students' and Graduates' Perspectives.

This study examined the supports, barriers, and strategies to successful progression in a DNP program using a nationwide online survey of DNP students and graduates. Subjects (n = 172) had a mean age of 46.2 years; 83% worked full time.

Neonatal nurses' beliefs, knowledge, and practices in relation to sudden infant death syndrome risk-reduction recommendations.

Background: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains the third leading cause of infant death in the United States and the leading cause of death beyond 1 month of age. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released the newest SIDS risk-reduction recommendations, which address healthcare providers in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Little is known about neonatal nurses' SIDS prevention strategies since the release of these newest recommendations.

The decision-making process of workers in using sick time.

The cost of employee absenteeism in the United States is significant in terms of sick pay, overtime costs, replacement personnel compensation, and lost productivity. Little is known about what workers consider when deciding to use sick time. Previous studies have examined work absence from an array of perspectives, including resulting work strain, job satisfaction, and job security, but absenteeism in the workplace has not been examined in terms of decision making.

Writing for publication: perspectives of graduate nursing students and doctorally prepared faculty.

Publication is a common expectation for both faculty and graduate students in schools of nursing. Little is known about the perceptions of students and faculty regarding what supports or interferes with students' success in writing for publication. Perceptions of supports and barriers to writing for publication and the differences in perceptions between graduate nursing students and faculty were examined.

Mothers' experiences expressing breast milk for their preterm infants: does NICU design make a difference?

Purpose: This study examined differences in outcomes of provision of mothers' milk before and after implementation of a single-family room (SFR) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and described issues related to long-term milk expression.

Sample: The sample included 40 mothers (15 in the original NICU and 25 in the SFR NICU).

Design: Descriptive comparative.

Reliability and validity of the Preterm Infant Feeding Survey: instrument development and testing.

No instruments have been located that examine attitudes concerning feeding decisions of mothers of preterm infants. The purpose of this study was to describe the development and psychometric testing of the Preterm Infant Feeding Survey (PIFS). The PIFS was adapted from the Breastfeeding Attrition Prediction Scale.

Factors influencing feeding decisions of black and white mothers of preterm infants.

Objective: To examine the factors involved in mothers' decisions to provide breast milk for their premature infants and to determine if these factors differ between Black and White mothers.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from 2 primary studies at 2 time points within 2 days of hospital admission (T1) and just before discharge (T2).

Setting: Urban level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the eastern United States.

Cup versus bottle feeding for hospitalized late preterm infants in Egypt: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Although previous studies have demonstrated beneficial breastfeeding outcomes when cup feeding rather than bottle feeding was used for feeding preterm infants, cup feeding has not been implemented in Egypt. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of using cup feeding as an exclusive method of feeding preterm infants during hospitalization on breastfeeding outcomes after discharge.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design, with the control group studied first, was used to examine the effect of cup feeding for preterm infants on breastfeeding outcomes after discharge.

Incidence of infection for preterm twins cared for in cobedding in the neonatal intensive-care unit.

Objectives: To describe the incidence of infection in a group of cobedded preterm twin infants and compare it to the incidence of infection in a cohort of preterm twin infants cared for in the same institution prior to the onset of cobedding.

Design: Retrospective descriptive design.

Setting: Tertiary, referral neonatal intensive-care unit in the Midwest.

Explanation for cessation of breastfeeding in mothers of twins.

This study used content analysis to examine reasons for cessation of breastfeeding of twins by 2 time points: 9.4 weeks and 28.3 weeks of age.

Duration of breastfeeding for mothers of twins.

Objective: To describe the incidence and duration of breastfeeding for mothers of twins and identify factors that affected this duration.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from a larger longitudinal predictive study of maternal attachment in mothers of twins.

Setting: Paper and pencil questionnaires once during pregnancy and twice in the first 6 months postpartum.

The effect of fluid density and volume on the accuracy of test weighing in a simulated oral feeding situation.

Background: For preterm infants and infants who have difficulty with oral feeding, excessive drooling during oral feedings can result in inaccurate assessment of intake. The drooled volume is typically estimated by visual and tactile assessment of the bib. Research, however, has demonstrated that visual assessment is inaccurate.

A randomized controlled trial of early kangaroo care for preterm infants: effects on temperature, weight, behavior, and acuity.

Kangaroo care (KC) has been the intervention for preterm infants in numerous published studies. However, most well designed studies to date have used a one-group repeated measure design. This methodology is not as definitive as an experimental design.

Cup-feeding for preterm infants: mechanics and safety.

Cup-feeding is recommended for breastfed preterm infants to avoid artificial nipples. However, the oral mechanisms used in cup-feeding, or its safety and efficacy, have not been described. The authors measured sipping, breathing, SaO2, and volume of intake during 15 cup-feeding sessions for 8 infants (mean gestational age at birth was 30.