Sharon Nurse, MSc., BSc (Hons)., RM., RN., RCNT
MSc. in Midwifery and Women’s Health
BSc. (Hons) Health Studies (1st class Honours)
Registered Midwife
Registered Nurse
Registered Clinical Nurse Teacher
ENB 904 Neonatal Intensive Care course
Currently employed as a Senior Lecturer (Education) in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, The Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Address: Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL
E-mail: s.nurse@qub.ac.uk
Telephone: 02890 975836
Mobile: 07759722188
Key content area: Clinical Research (completed)
‘One chance’ – junior neonatal nurses’ anxieties around caring for infants at the end-of-life
Background
An infant’s death is acutely stressful for parents and professionals. Little is known about junior nurses’ experiences providing end-of-life care in Neonatal Units (NNU). Objectives
To better understand junior nurses’ experiences providing end-of-life care in NNU, the study explored the challenges and opportunities inherent in their practice relating to providing such care to babies and their families.
Methods
Neonatal nurses (n=12) with less than 3 years experience who were undergoing a neonatal education programme participated. Two focus groups were convened each with 6 nurses. The Ethics Committee at the relevant University approved the study. Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used in the focus groups to build consensus around the challenges faced by junior nurses, alongside suggested developments in improving future care provision. Primary analysis involved successive rounds of ranking and decision making whilst secondary analysis involved thematic analysis.
Results
The study identified the pressures these nurses felt in having only one chance to ‘get it right’ for the infants and their families. They perceived the need for further ‘education and training’ highlighting that improved education provision would include both additional courses and internal training sessions. Greater ‘support’ from mentors themselves more experienced in this aspect of care within the NNU was identified as important in addressing issues around confidence building and skill development.
Conclusions
The results highlight junior nurses’ need for specific education and mentorship around end-of-life care for babies. This presentation will outline the implications for practice, education and further research.