• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.417-424
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate partnerships with nurses, social support and readiness for discharge among mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to examine the factors associated with readiness for discharge. Methods: A survey was conducted among 85 mothers of premature infants hospitalized in a NICU in Seoul, Korea. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson' correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The results of the regression analysis showed that partnerships with nurses (${\beta}=.32$, p=.011) and parenting experience (${\beta}=.32$, p=.001) were significantly associated with readiness for discharge. Conclusion: To improve the readiness for discharge among mothers of premature infants, developing strategies to strengthen their partnership with nurses and to provide family-centered care will be needed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceptions of death, end-of-life (EOL) care stress, and emotional intelligence on attitudes toward EOL care among nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The participants were 111 nurses working in a NICU who had experienced EOL care at least once. Data were analyzed using the t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis in SPSS for Windows. Results: The mean score for perceptions of death was 3.16 out of 5, the mean score for EOL care stress was 3.61 out of 5, the mean emotional intelligence score was 4.66 out of 7, and the average score for EOL care attitudes was 2.77 out of 4. The factors affecting attitudes towards EOL care were academic degree, anxiety regarding death, negativity towards death, experiences of patient death, and emotional intelligence. The explanatory power of these variables for attitudes towards EOL care was 24.7%. Conclusion: The results of this study are expected to serve as a basic reference for the development of nursing education programs and EOL care protocols to improve attitudes toward EOL care among NICU nurses.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.184-195
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to characterize the relationship between parental stress and nurses' communication as perceived by parents of high-risk newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The participants were 54 parents of high-risk newborns in a NICU. Data were collected from January to March 2018. Parental stress and parents' perceptions of nurses' communication ability and styles were measured using a questionnaire. Results: The average scores for parental stress and nurses' communication ability were 3.39 and 4.38 respectively, on a 5-point scale. Parents most commonly reported that nurses showed a friendly communication style, followed by informative and authoritative styles. Mothers and fathers reported significantly different levels of parental stress. Parental stress showed a negative correlation with nurses' perceived verbal communication ability. Higher scores for nurses' verbal communication ability and for friendly and informative communication styles were associated with lower parental stress induced by the environment, the baby's appearance and behaviors, and treatments in the NICU. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that nurses need to offer proper information for parents and to support parents by encouraging them to express their emotions of stress and by providing parents with therapeutic communication and opportunities to participate in care.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to define nursing behavior in neonatal intensive care units so as to estimate resource-based relative value-. Method: Participating in this study were 292 nurses in neonatal intensive care units. The study surveyed physical and mental labor, stress and time involved in nursing work. Tool used in this study was a nursing labor per relative value tool. For analyzes, the relative value of each nursing behavior was calculated, where the mean value of the three components, labor intensity and component-by-component explanatory power were in percentage terms. Results: 1. Nursing behaviors in neonatal intensive care unit were classified and defined at three levels: 5 main domains, 17 mid-domains, and 42 small domains. 2. The per component explanatory power of intensity involved in nursing labor showed physical effort to be 32.45%, mental 32.86%, and stress 34.69%. 3. The reliability of nursing labor factors was very strong, Cronbach's alpha value of 0.96. Conclusion: In this research, which is a first in defining nursing behavior in neonatal intensive care units, individual nursing behavior were broken down using resource-based relative value for nursing cost, and each nursing behavior was successfully translated to a numerical value.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 2021

Purpose: While clinical practice is crucial for nursing students to acquire the skills needed to provide professional, high-quality nursing care, further studies on improving undergraduate nursing programs are needed to provide a supportive clinical learning environment for student nurses. This study aimed to understand nursing students' clinical experiences in newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care units and to provide basic data for the establishment of strategies to promote effective clinical education. Methods: Interviews were held with 15 nursing students at J University who had clinical practice experience in the newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care unit. The collected data were analyzed using the phenomenological analysis method developed by Colaizzi (1978). Results: The nursing students' experiences were grouped into four categories: "expectations for and anxiety about clinical practice", "acquisition of a wide range of knowledge regarding neonatal nursing", "challenges faced in clinical practice", and "experiencing interpersonal changes". Conclusion: The current neonatal practice nursing education system provides students with positive learning experiences. However, the lack of practice opportunities, insufficient instruction, and the theory-practice gap were identified as major issues hindering students' learning needs. These study results are expected to provide basic data for curriculum development to improve undergraduate nursing education.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 2014

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the perceived nursing needs and the differences by general characteristics of parents of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to provide useful evidences developing a new intervention for family-centered care in NICU. Methods: A convenience sample of 121 parents of infants in NICU was used and the participants asked to complete the Korean version of NICU Family Needs Inventory (NFNI) from April to May, 2014. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. Results: The participants reported high average score in the perceived nursing needs. In subscales, needs for assurance rated highest score and needs for information, proximity, support, and comfort were followed. Mothers reported higher nursing needs score than fathers except the subscale of support. Conclusion: The findings suggest that nurses in NICU actively provide information about treatment, nursing, results of laboratory tests, and current status to give reassurance to parents. Not only providing informational support of parents of NICU infants, but also finding methods to contact to parents is necessary. In addition, nurses need to provide optimized intervention in current healthcare system and hospital environment.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.69-84
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the state of infection control in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) including disinfection methods, disinfection cycles, and exchange cycles for medical devices and to suggest a basic framework which would help develop standardized infection control guidelines. Methods: From a list of NICU equipment developed from the NICUs in 4 tertiary hospitals, a structured questionnaire on 74 types of medical equipment was developed and sent to 31 hospitals by mail. The results were reviewed by panel of experts (56 persons), and analyzed for internal validity by a focus group (4 persons) using guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Korean Hospital Nurses Association. Results: The results showed various methods, cycles, disinfectant levels for the disinfectants and exchange cycles in the medical equipment infection control of the 31 hospitals. The focus group developed a 66-item basic framework based on validity testing. Conclusion: From the results of this study, a framework of infection control standards for 66 types of medical equipment in the NICU was developed. It is suggested that further study be done to more precisely establish standard infection control guidelines for NICU medical equipment.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.257-266
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to elucidate the themes involved in a nursing experience of caring for extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Interviews with 6 nurses in various positions and observations in a level III NICU were conducted. The transcribed interview contents and observational notes were reviewed to analyze the data and conceptualize major themes. Results: Three major themes were identified: the fears expressed by the nurses regarding taking care of ELBWIs, reasons for persistent fears, and overcoming fears and gaining intuition. Nurses were afraid of the following factors: the physical fragility of the infants; the possibility of developing disabilities in the future; and the rapid changes in infants' physical condition. These fears were reduced when nurses had developed intuition and confidence in taking care of ELBWIs through various situational experiences. Conclusion: NICU nurses may benefit from obtaining more opportunities to participate in various learning experiences with simulated nursing situations in a variety of patient groups. Applying knowledge and skills into various nursing situations in an integrative way may contribute to enhancing nurses' confidence in nursing practice.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.252-261
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses' experience in caring for infants who are approaching death and to identity the meaning and structure of their experiences. Methods: The participants were eight nurses who had experience in caring for these infants. In-depth interviews were performed from December, 2012 to February, 2013 until data were fully saturated. Collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results: Four theme clusters were extracted from fifteen themes. The four theme clusters of the NICU nurses' experience in caring for infants who are dying were: 1) Crossroads between life and comfort of infants approaching death, 2) emotional suffering at the death of the infant, 3) adapting and coping with the death of the infant, 4) new expectations for caring for infants who are dying. Conclusion: The results of the study provide useful information in understanding NICU nurses' experience in caring for infants who are dying and establishing effective strategies to support these nurses.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.202-204
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• 2020