• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2008

Purposes: The purposes of this study are to describe the health problems experienced by VLBW premature infants and their health care services utilization during the first year of life Method: Eighteen mothers of VLBW premature infants completed a survey questionnaire, asking socioeconomic/demographic information, health/developmental problems experienced by their infants, and their use of health care services. Results: Of the 18 infants, 78% experienced respiratory problems such as cold/running nose and wheezing during the first year and 33% experienced gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Twelve (67%) infants visited the emergency department at least one time and 10 infants (56%) were hospitalized at least once during their first year of age. Interestingly, infants without chronic lung disease visited the emergency department more than infants without chronic lung disease (p=.213). Infants living in non-disadvantaged neighborhoods were hospitalized more than infants living in disadvantaged neighborhoods (p=.000). Conclusions: Health care providers should initiate educating mothers, particularly those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, about post-NICU discharge health care needs of their VLBW premature infants while their infants were still in the NICU so that unnecessary visits to the emergency department and rehospitalizations can be possibly prevented.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.305-313
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• 1998

The purpose of study was to examine the effect of nonnutritive sucking(NNS) on behavioral state in preform infants. Fourteen infants (gestational age 28-35 weeks, M=31.86 ; birth weights 1095-2275g, M=1694g) admitted to NICU, serving as their controls were randomly administered 5 min of nonnutritive sucking and a control condition. Behavioral state was measured using the Anderson Behavioral State Scale(ABSS). Heart rates were obtained for each infant before and during NNS and bottle feeding. Data collecction was done by 3 experienced nurses in NICU 2 times a day for conseculive 4 days for each subject. Interrater reliability were .80-.90. The findings were as follows : 1. Preform infants averaged active restless states 58.93% in the prointervention phase and 27.32% in the NNS phase. Inactive awake states were 3.57% in the preintervention phase and 34.64% in the NNS phase. 2. There were significantly more positive changes to inactive awake states for the NNS intervention, Z=-2.35, p=.01. 3. There was no statistically significant difference in heart rate change between NNS intervention and control condition, z=-1.15, p=.24. 4. The rates of feeding success determined by finishing prescribed amount of milk by bottle feeding within 15 minutes were 83.94% in NNS intervention and 89.29% in control condition. The findings from this study confirmed that NNS is effective for behavioral state modulation and inducing optimal state for feeding in preform infant. The NNS intervention in nursing practice may help the transition of preform infants for nipple feeding.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among knowledge and attitude toward palliative care and perception of death for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 110 nurses who work in NICUs in South Korea. The participants filled out a questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude towards palliative care and perception of death. The attitude scale was divided into 3 subscales: comfort level, nurses' role and nurses' involvement with family. Results: Comfort level regarding attitude towards palliative care was positively correlated with knowledge (r=.220, p=.016) and the perception of death (r=.194, p=.042). Nurses' role showed a positive correlation with perception of death (r=.395, p=.001). Conclusion: NICU nurses' knowledge of palliative care was below standard across the board, implying that there is a definite need for palliative care education for nurses. The education program for palliative care should include a section that focuses on fostering a positive perception of death as well as defining and delineating the role of nurses.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to assess the severity of illness in high risk newborns. Method: The research design was a methodological study. The tool was developed in 4 stages: first, preliminary items were developed based on a questionnaire about the severity of illness index that was given to 8 health professionals in Neonatal Intensity Care Units (NICU) second, a panel of specialists reduced the preliminary items using 3 validity tests; third, final items were selected from the results of a pre-test. Finally, from July 2005 to May 2006, reliability and validity were tested with a sample of 160 high risk newborns admitted to the NICU. Results: The final tool to identify the severity of illness index in high risk newborns consisted 39 items and Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was .922. Using factor analysis, 4 factors were extracted and these factors explained 54.451% of the total variance. Conclusion: The instrument for assessing the severity of illness in high risk newborns developed in this study was identified as a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. In this sense, this tool can be effectively utilized for assessing and implementing care for high risk newborns.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the sleep/activity patterns of premature babies. Method: The subjects were 55 premature babies who were hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of one University Hospital in Daejeon from September 1, 2004 to March 31, 2006. The sleep/activity patterns of the premature babies were observed for 24 hours a day for 7 days. The observations were made and recorded by the researcher and 5 trained research assistants using NCASA records developed by Barnard et al. (1979). For statistical analysis, frequency, average, t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used. Results: The infants slept more and had less awake periods during daytime than full-term infants. As the hospital stay of the premature babies increased, the amount of daytime sleep and total daily sleep decreased, and the amount of daytime awake periods increased. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the level of physical and physiological maturity of premature babies is one of the major variables that affect their sleep/activity patterns. Furthermore, the findings of this study will provide information about the sleep/activity patterns of premature babies, and present baseline data to develop the nursing intervention programs which support optimum development for the premature babies.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.407-415
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how child development knowledge, child rearing knowledge, and use of healthcare services after discharge affect maternal confidence among mothers of premature infants. Methods: Participants in this study were 55 mothers who were involved in internet communities for mothers with premature infants and 30 mothers who visited hospitals for follow up care after having their babies discharged from Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) in South Korea. Results: Presence of operation history, child development and rearing knowledge, and use of healthcare service explained 12.2% of maternal confidence. Presence of operation history (${\beta}=.32$, p<.05) and child development knowledge (${\beta}=.52$, p<.05) were significant predictors for maternal confidence. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that mothers with premature infants need further education especially on motor development, developmental knowledge, and knowledge related to operations for mothers whose child had surgery in the NICU. Also information about services provided from community health services for premature infants need to be advertised and distributed.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.698-701
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• 2007

We report on two premature infants who developed nosocomial infection caused by Chryseobacterium meningosepticum in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). One premature infant developed sepsis, meningitis, and hydrocephalus, and was treated successfully with ciprofloxacin plus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole combination therapy for 4 weeks and with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The other premature infant, who was in a chronically debilitated state, had infection that had colonized only in the respiratory tract but had no clinical signs for 66 days. Extensive environmental surveillance demonstrated that the suction bottle apparatus was the source of infection. We prevented the spread of infection by closing the NICU temporarily, isolating the patients early in their infection, and eradicating the source of infection source.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.96-106
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• 2003

Advances in neonatal care system and research have resulted in an increased survival rate among low birth weight infants in the industrialized countries. Recent Korean neonatal mortality and morbidity statistics, and current status of Korean neonatal intensive care facilities were reviewed here for the sake of future improvement and research. Morbidity statistics revealed that perinatal diseases accounted for 80％ of the death of premature infants implying the possibility of its reduction by the vigorous prenatal care service in future.On the basis of extensive studies of nutritional support and growth rate of premature infants, commercial formulas for premature infants have been developed and various aspects of feeding techniques are standardized. However, problem of growth deficit of premature infants remains unsolved as medical problem. NICU specialists are challenged with the tasks of prenatal education or provision of care that minimizes the neurodevelopmental problems seen in preterm infants, various short-term outcome researches have been reported and those are reviewed here to promote research interest in the field of neonatal nursing. Systemic long-term outcome studies are also awaited in Korea for the formulation of welfare policy in future. Nursing science has to embrace all these interdisciplinary studies as their own research field in collaboration with neonatologist, nutritionist, rehabilitation therapist, social workers and teachers.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was performed to explore the weight variations in high-risk term newborns hospitalized during the early postnatal period. Methods: A retrospective explorative study was performed with 64 term newborns who were hospitalized in the NICU after birth. Data on daily weight, birth information, and clinical features such as phototherapy, placements, nutritional status were reviewed through medical records for 14 days of life. General Linear Model, GLM was applied to analyze the weight variation by clinical features of these high-risk term newborns for 14 days of life. Results: Newborns at 40 weeks of gestation showed little weight loss during the few days after birth then steadily gained weight to 7.6% at the 14th day. Infants born at 37-39 gestation showed little weight gain for 14 days though the weight loss itself was not apparent. As well, return to birthweight was not observed in newborns with phototherapy, infants placed on a warmer or infants having gastrointestinal dysfunction for 14 days of life. Conclusion: Even for term newborns, physiologic weight loss may not be warranted even if newborn is born at less than 40 week of gestation, or with high-risk conditions that warrant admission to NICU.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2012

Purpose: Instead of a chaotic non circadian environmental approach, continuing regular day-night rhythm in neonatal nurseries may benefit the development of preterm infants. The purpose of this study was to define the effects of cycled lighting on circadian rhythms of premature infants. Methods: The experimental group included 15 preterm infants, and the control group, 15 premature infants in the NICU of a general hospital in Seoul. All infants were between 32 and 37 weeks' postconceptional age. The experimental group infants were provided with cycled lighting before discharge. The incubator or bassinet cover of the experimental group was off between 7 AM and 7 PM, and was covered between 7 PM and 7 AM. Results: There were significant differences in the NNNS score ($p$=.039), and some significant differences in the sleep-activity pattern between the experimental group and the control group, but distinct differences in sleep-activity patterns between the two groups could not be defined. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that cycled lighting can be helpful in the neurobehavioral development of preterm infants. By modifying the NICU environment to provide a more developmentally supportive milieu, nursing professionals can better meet the infants' physiologic and neurobehavioral needs.