Mapping the effects of nurses' developmental care education on infants and families in a surgical neonatal intensive care unit: An observational study.

Developmental care (DC) mitigates the impact of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stressors on infants and their families. However, the effect of variable exposure to DC-educated nurses on infant and parent outcomes remains unclear. Social network analysis (SNA), which maps relationships and interaction patterns, was used to evaluate the influence of nurse DC education in a surgical NICU (sNICU).

The impact of neonatal care on moderate-risk infants: Evidence from healthcare use in the first two years of life.

Advances in evidence-based neonatal care have led to large improvements in the survival rates of high-risk newborns. Yet studies have documented wide variation in the care of more prevalent moderate-risk infants, who comprise a much larger proportion of admissions to neonatal care. In this study, we build on a small literature which uses quasi-experimental design to understand the impact of neonatal care, and for the first time, examine this moderate-risk cohort of infants.

Prospective Observational Study of Infants' Physiological and Behavioral Responses to Nurse-Delivered Care After Surgery.

Objective: To investigate infants' physiological and behavioral responses during routine nurse-delivered care following surgery.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: Surgical NICU.

Mental health screening for parents following surgical neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge.

Admission to the surgical neonatal intensive care unit (sNICU) is a stressful experience. Care is often complex, with inherent risks and potential complications. This study describes the implementation of an outpatient mental health screening process for parents of infants admitted to a sNICU.

Developmental care education in Australian surgical neonatal intensive care units: A cross-sectional study of nurses' perceptions.

Background: Nurse perceptions of developmental care practices have been researched globally for almost 30 years. Yet, there is a lack of research exploring this subject in the specialised setting of the surgical neonatal intensive care unit (sNICU). This research explores the effect of developmental care education programs on sNICU nurses' perceptions of developmental care.

Preterm Birth and Total Health Care Use and Costs in the First 5 Years of Life: A Population-based Study.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between preterm birth and hospital/out-of-hospital care and costs over the first 5 years of life.

Study Design: Birth data from a population-based cohort of 631 532 infants born between 2007 and 2013 were linked probabilistically with data on hospitalizations, primary and secondary care, and the use of medications. We analyzed the distribution of health care use and public health care costs for infants who survived at least 5 years, comparing the outcomes of extremely preterm (<28 weeks of gestation), very preterm (28-32 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32-37 weeks), and term infants (at least 37 weeks).

Influence of patterns of neonatal transfers on breastfeeding outcomes.

Aim: To investigate/evaluate the impact of hospital transfers on breastfeeding outcomes for infants requiring neonatal intensive care and to explore approaches to supporting lactation and breastfeeding.

Methods: A national study of two cohorts of infants admitted to the nine neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in New South Wales (NSW) Australia using data sourced from a prospectively collected NICUS data collection.

Results: A total of 7829 infants were admitted to the nine NICUs in NSW for two 18-month cohorts (2012/2013 and 2015/2016) and were included in the study.

The effects of education levels of developmental care in Australia: Perceptions and challenges.

Background: Developmental care consists of a range of clinical, infant-focused, and family-focused interventions designed to modify the neonatal intensive care environment and caregiving practices to reduce stressors on the developing brain. Since the inception of developmental care in the early 1980s, it has been recommended and adopted globally as a component of routine practice for neonatal care. Despite its application for almost 40 y, little is known of the attitude of neonatal nurses in Australia towards the intervention.

Midwives' knowledge, attitudes and confidence in discussing maternal and childhood immunisation with parents: A national study.

Introduction: Despite the enormous benefits of childhood and maternal immunisation to individual and population health, the uptake of maternal vaccines during pregnancy remains suboptimal. Midwives are a trusted information source for parents and play an important role in the provision of immunisation information. Understanding midwives' attitudes and vaccine knowledge, along with their confidence to discuss maternal and childhood immunisation with parents, is key to reducing parental decisional conflict and achieving immunisation goals.

Induction of labour: Experiences of care and decision-making of women and clinicians.

Background: There has been a rise in induction of labour over recent decades. There is some tension in the literature in relation to when induction is warranted and when not, with variability between guidelines and practice. Given these tensions, the importance of shared decision-making between clinicians and women is increasingly highlighted as paramount, but it remains unclear to what extent this occurs in routine care.

Midwives' role in the provision of maternal and childhood immunisation information.

Problem: Inactivated influenza vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus acellular pertussis vaccine are routinely recommended during pregnancy to protect women and their babies from infection. Additionally, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for infants within the first week of life; however, little is known about midwives' experiences of recommending and delivering these immunisations.

Background: Midwives are a trusted source of vaccine information for parents and the confident provision of information about immunisation during antenatal clinic visits has been found to increase the uptake of antenatal and childhood vaccines.

Variability in incubator humidity practices in the management of preterm infants.

Aim: To determine current practice and opinion in relation to incubator humidity use in the management of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU's) within the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN).

Methods: A survey was conducted in 26 NICU's in the ANZNN. A senior clinical nurse in each perinatal centre participated in a telephone survey that focused on local humidification practices and on the clinicians' views and experiences of humidity use.

Clinical leadership: using observations of care to focus risk management and quality improvement activities in the clinical setting.

In an era when patient safety and quality of care are a daily concern for health care professionals, it is important for nurse managers and other clinical leaders to have a repertoire of skills and interventions that can be used to motivate and engage clinical teams in risk assessment and continuous quality improvement at the level of patient care delivery. This paper describes how a cohort of clinical leaders who were undertaking a leadership development program used a relatively simple, patient-focused intervention called the 'observation of care' to help focus the clinical team's attention on areas for improvement within the clinical setting. The main quality and safety themes arising out of the observations that were undertaken by the Clinical Leaders (CLs) were related to the environment, occupational health and safety, communication and team function, clinical practice and patient care.