Family centred care (FCC) encompasses the concept of parental participation in their infants care (Franck and Callery 2004). It aims to place the needs of the infant in the context of the family (Saunders et al 2003). FCC is adopted within many neonatal units and is considered the gold standard of care aiming to underpin and guide neonatal care towards the partnership between health professionals and parents (Hutchfield 1999). Subsequent to the interruption of the bonding process between infant and family when a baby is admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) it is suggested that the NICU provides an ideal opportunity for FCC practice (Allerman Beck et al 2009) as nurses and parents are compelled to develop an effective relationship in order to satisfy the infants care needs (Reis et al 2009). However a study by Higman & Shaw (2008) found that it appears to be more difficult to achieve on the neonatal unit as FCC is reliant on the family’s relationship with the child. In order to deliver effective FCC neonatal nurses need an understanding of parents needs and how to address them. Mundy (2010) in a study researching the assessment of family needs in neonatal Intensive Care Units found that assumptions of parent’s needs were often made by healthcare professional’s resulting in unfounded and inappropriate conclusions. The importance of treating each family as individual is paramount when assessing how best to involve parents in the care of their infants (Higman & Shaw 2008). Review of the literature shows a lack of research into these assessments and highlights that enhancing family centred care requires appropriate assessments of family needs and the incorporation of this into individualised plans of care. A study into nurse’s perceptions about the delivery of FCC by Higman and Shaw (2010) supports this view, throughout the study it is apparent that although nurses realise the importance of FCC it is not always consistent within their own practice. Peterson et al (2004) suggests reasons for these inconsistencies could be the deficiency of adequate training and, the stress implementing FCC can impose on nursing staff due to an already demanding workload, potentially creating negative attitudes towards the relevance and practicalities of its delivery. The consensus view of FCC is positive although limitations to its execution are manifested throughout the literature. Staff shortages are suggested to hinder the performance of FCC within the clinical area, creating time constraints with nurses having very little opportunity to build good relationships with the families (Higman and Shaw 2008).
Pam Jenkins is a 36 year-old woman that is 30 weeks into her third pregnancy. Since her pregnancy began, Pam has gained 20 pounds. Although Pam has reduced the amount that she smokes, she continues to smoke 5 cigarettes per day, which may cause some issues with her worry of another preterm birth. Another factor that could also cause complications is her delayed prenatal vitamin use. After logging her dietary intake within a 24 hour period into SuperTracker, I will be making recommendations on how she can alter her diet and lifestyle to ensure that Pam receives the nutrients she needs for herself and for her baby.
Nurses play a big role in supporting the parents while their child is in the NICU. Showing compassion and demonstrating caring actions when caring for the patient makes it more likely that the parents will trust the nurse and the information the nurse gives them regarding their child’s condition. This trust is important as it helps the parents feel confident in the decisions they are making about their child’s care. When the parents of an ill child in the NICU have decided to terminate treatment palliative care by the nurse and other healthcare providers comes into play. Palliative care is keeping the child comfortable by treating the symptoms and being there for the parents and child physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Eden & Callister, 2010).
The Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) is a well-known comprehensive and multidimensional template used by nurses to assess families. CFAM begins by having the nurse visit with the family and gain insight on the family’s functioning at a particular point in time. Interviewing the family allows the nurse to assess and identify potential issues. Furthermore, the CFAM consists of three main assessment categories, known as structural, developmental, and functional. Each of these categories contains several subcategories that allow the nurse to examine all aspects of a family’s functioning. The goal of the CFAM is for the nurse to openly discuss family issues, provide insight to families from an outside perspective and guide them towards their own problem solving tactics. CFAM allows families and nurse to develop a plan of care that is mutually agreed upon. The following paper illustrates a family assessment completed using the CFAM and applies nursing diagnoses and interventions relevant to the family’s current issues (Wright & Leahey, 2013).
Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).
Since neonatal nursing is my special interest and field, I chose to write about the health care options which are available to parents having children in different hospitals throughout the world. With the state of the art technological advances in the neonatal units, there are so many options available for the care of newborn babies. I reviewed the neonatal units in Australia, Saudi Arabia, New York, Tokyo, Ireland, and California, and I have learned what It takes to run a neonatal intensive care unit all around the world.
Kangaroo care is the act of placing a neonate skin to skin with their mother or father. This care is commonly provided by mothers but can also be provided by fathers. Paternal kangaroo care offers many benefits for both the father and the neonate. By implementing this care, the opportunity for fathers to bond with their neonate is provided. This bonding experience is important as many neonates spend several weeks in the NICU. The time away from their neonate can be particularly stressful for the family. Kangaroo care provides a means for the father to provide care for his neonate during their time in the NICU. The benefits to the neonate include maintaining greater temperature stability, stabilized heart rate, and respirations within normal limits. It is believed that healthcare providers lack the understanding about paternal kangaroo care and its benefits. This article will provide the evidence based practice to support and promote paternal kangaroo care. The goal of this research study is to provide evidence based research that promotes paternal kangaroo care
When a parent has a baby staying in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, they are worried and stressed about the health of their baby. This worriedness and stress can lead to the parents developing Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. A parent is more likely to develop Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder if they experience a fear of the unknown and fear of death, quality of life, medical interventions in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and stories from other parent’s experiences with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A study founded that with parents who have babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit experience suffering in social relationships, this includes marital relationships. The article suggest childbirth educators should prepare parents for the possibility of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder in prenatal classes and teach the symptoms of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, so parents can recognize if they start to show the symptoms of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder that they can receive the help they need.
Nursing interventions should encourage family members to participate as well as be the ones who care about their child most. Special attention is needed to pay for children who attend day-care facilities and follow-up care is necessary. Word count: 1674.
The whole perspective of a child being in intensive care is hard, and especially for parents who do not know how to handle the situation of having their newborn baby in intensive care. There are many challenges that parents face; facing emotional problems is the biggest challenge. Not knowing how to handle the whole situation of seeing their new born child in a situation like intensive care is pretty hard. It is pretty intimidating and not being to take care and be able to hold their baby all day like they would want to, is also hard. Parents face high levels of distress, anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms. Mothers have a harder time dealing with their emotions. They carried their baby inside them for several months, have felt the kicks and the movements, and they often feel like a failure feeling guilt and shame. A mother wants the best for their baby and they often think that their baby will have complications with growth and development, and often blaming themselves for giving birth to an unhealthy baby wondering what they could have done differently. Because of the parents stress and anxiety of not knowing what will happen, there is an inability to preform a normal parenting role. Perhaps the best way for parents to be able to relax and be more helpful to their babies is to move on from the situation and only look forward the health of the child. Parents also loose one of the best memories they wish they could keep fo...
A great deal of emotions occur in the postpartum period, emotions that you could never understand unless you have been there. Before I attended a conference on depression in pregnancy & postpartum the thought of fathers suffering from postnatal depression never even entered my mind. As far as I was concerned, It was only associated it with giving birth. The knowledge I gained has not only changed my outlook on the subject but the way that I interact with and educate my patients. My focus is no longer just on the dyad of mom and baby it’s on mom, dad and baby if there is a partner involved at all. The purpose of this essay is to explore a particular concept related to professional caring in nursing. It will discuss the patient/client situation, exploration of the concept, how the concept relates to personal caring through noticing, interpreting, responding and reflection. The concept that will be explored in this paper is empathy.
Dr. Sigmund Freud thought the experiences in the first five years were the most critical for the development of personality. It is where it all begins. We all go through stresses in life but it is the well-developed adult that is able to handle stress and how they handle it. It all starts with attachment between the caregiver and the infant. The emotional bond that forms between an infant and a primary caregiver is called attachment. Bonding is a continuation of the relationship that began during pregnancy. The physical and chemical changes that were happening in the body of a mother remind her of the presence of that little person who was growing inside her. Birth reinforces that bond and gives it validity. Now she can see, feel, and talk to the little person that she knew only as a movement in her belly and the heartbeat she heard through the ultra sound. Bonding allows her to transfer her love for the infant inside to the outside. Inside, she gave her blood and outside, she gives her milk, her attention with her eyes, hands and voice. Bonding brings mothers and newborns back together. Attachment is a very important development in the social and emotional life of the infant, usually forming within the first six months of the infant’s life and showing up in a number of ways during the second six months, such as wariness of strangers and fear of being separated from the caregiver. According to psychologist Mary Ainsworth, attachment is a connection between two people that creates a bond. It is that bond that causes the desire for contact with that person and the feeling of distress when separation occurs from that person. This special tie between two human beings that bind them together is what attachment is. Attachment aids a n...
Client centered care is what creates the foundation for the therapeutic nurse-client relationships. The Registered Nursing Association of Ontario (RNAO) recommends that nurses embrace the values of respect, human dignity, client as expert, and clients as leaders, to foster patient centered care (RNAO, 2002). A study done at Coventry University found that there were serious implications to care that was not family-center. Effective communication plays a large role in how the care is perceived by families and patients. It is extremely important for clients to receive constant and continual information from their healthcare professionals (Beckwitt, 2014). Relaying critical, sensitive information is difficult, but when t...
In health care, there are many different approaches throughout the field of nursing. When considering the field of family nursing, there are four different approaches to caring for patients. This paper will discuss the different approaches along with a scenario that covers that approach. The approaches that will be discussed include family as a context, family as a client, family as a system, and family as a component to society. Each of these scenarios are approach differently within the field of nursing.
Children are the future of the world and need to be nurtured and educated in the best conditions. Thus, parenting is one of the most challenging and admirable responsibilities that people can experience. Parenting plays important roles in the development of children’s characteristics. Some people nurture children depending on their own ways. Others get advice from friends or books. Parenting can be divided into three groups: authoritative, permissive, and democratic parenting.
When the baby is admitted to the NICU, the mother is unable to have the usual bonding moments where she holds and comforts her newborn. Rather, when visiting with her child, she is required to take endless precautions, has limited time to be with her baby, and must see her little child connected to many machines helping to keep the baby stable (Shanmugam & Ramachandra, 2015). In their study, Shanmugam and Ramachandra (2015) questioned 100 mothers of neonates in the NICU, and recorded the correlation between their stress level and coping strategies. They found that 38 of the mothers had severe stress, 28 had moderate stress, and the remaining had mild stress. Of these women, 25% had good coping, 50% had moderate coping, and 25% had poor coping. A large finding from this study was that nurses and health care providers played a very big role in helping to reduce the stress levels of the mothers by talking with them and listening to their concerns, while also providing adequate care for their children. If the mother is using negative coping strategies, such as holding in all of her concerns and filling her mind with the thoughts of death, financial issues, and fear of the unknown, she is going to cause her body great harm (Shanmugam & Ramachandra,