Highlights
- •NICU nurses with admitted NICU infants struggle as a result of their nurses-mothers’ dual role.
- •There are shared needs between mothers and nurse-mothers in relation to proximity and involvement in newborn care plan.
- •The family should be recognized as the cornerstone of the NICU health care team.
Abstract
Purpose
Little research has explored the experiences and perspectives of neonatal intensive
care unit (NICU) nurses who have also experienced being NICU parents. The purpose
of this study was to explore the experiences of these nurses who have or have ever
had an infant hospitalized in a NICU.
Design and methods
A qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews with a purposive
sample of 9 registered Jordanian NICU nurses who have or have had a child admitted
to a NICU.
Results
Findings suggest an oscillation between the role of being a nurse and the role of
being a mother. The nurses' background clinical experience has an impact on how they
provided and received care and on the decisions they made regarding their infants'
care plans. Nurses reported fears of the “recommended patient syndrome” and tried
to avoid being labeled as “nagging” by other healthcare providers.
Conclusions
Study findings shed light on the needs of NICU nurses with NICU admitted infants and
the struggle faced by nurses-mothers as a result of their dual role, and highlights
the importance of the family centered developmental care approach that recognizes
the family as the cornerstone of the NICU health care team.
Practice implications
Findings highlight issues related to the shared needs between mothers and nurse-mothers
in relation to proximity and involvement in newborn care plan.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 02, 2021
Accepted:
February 1,
2021
Received in revised form:
February 1,
2021
Received:
December 28,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
