Appreciation of the neonatal care experience through the eyes of student nurses: The Development of a Storytelling learning resource.

Final Accepted Versio

Kangaroo mother care’ helps preterm babies survive … but offers benefits for all

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Julia Petty, 'Kangaroo mother care' helps preterm babies survive...but offers benefits for all', The Conversation, January 2017, https://theconversation.com/kangaroo-mother-care-helps-preterm-babies-survive-but-offers-benefits-for-all-71644.Final Published versio

Addressing learning needs in neonatal care: an overview of resources for self-directed learning

Have written to publisher to check article sharing rights/policyThis article explores the rationale behind the need for self-directed learning resources for health professionals working within the neonatal specialty, in the context of current healthcare education. It also discusses what makes a learning tool useful in relation to the facilitation of independent learning. Finally, given that, compared to other areas of health, the range and availability of neonatal-specific learning tools is limited, the paper draws together a pool of accessible educational resources for self-directed learning in neonatal care.Final Published versio

Understanding neonatal non-invasive ventilation

Many of the babies admitted to the neonatal unit require some degree of respiratory support at varying levels for a given time period as dictated by individualised assessment of their overall condition. This Fact Sheet, following on from Oxygen therapy by Fallon (2012), offers an overview of current non-invasive ventilation practice in neonatal care focusing on the terms and modes used. The aim is for the reader to understand the range of strategies used to support the neonate’s respiratory system in line with the relevant evidence for delivery of best practice for the neonate and family.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Creating stories for learning about the neonatal care experience through the eyes of student nurses: An interpretive, narrative study

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Nurse Education Today following peer review. The version of record [Nurse Education Today (January 2017) Vol 48, pp. 25-32. First published online September 25, 2016] is available online at doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.09.007 This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Storytelling is an increasingly well recognised and valued platform to learn about the human experience within healthcare. Little is known however about how stories can enhance understanding in neonatal care, a specialised field offering rich opportunities for learning. This study focuses on the creation of stories based on the experiences of student nurses to inform teaching and learning strategies in the neonatal field.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Creating Stories From Parents' Premature Birth Experiences to Engender Empathy in Nursing Students

Introduction: In healthcare, stories are an evocative way to educate nurses about the emotional experiences of patients. Little is known however, about the impact of storytelling in neonatal nursing practice and education. Aims: The aims were; to explore how parents of premature babies described their neonatal care experience; to develop digital stories informed by their narratives and to investigate how these may contribute to empathic learning in nursing students/staff. Methods: Within an interpretive, narrative design using principles from constructivism, twenty narrative interviews with parents of premature babies were undertaken to collect their stories. Core story creation reconfigured the raw narratives to develop digital stories using the ASPIRE model. Thematic and metaphor analysis were also applied. Finally, a mixed methods approach investigated the perceived value of the stories for empathic learning with nursing students and staff in neonatal care. Findings: Parents described their experience using a strong emotional narrative revealing important learning points for those caring for them. The use of metaphors was a common way to express emotion. Frequent metaphor clusters provided pivotal themes for the creation of digital stories. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: namely, the effect of digital stories on emotion and empathy, the perceived value of digital stories for learning and knowledge acquisition, the potential impact of digital stories on practice and the format of digital stories for representing emotion and evoking empathy. Overall, student nurses and staff evaluated the digital stories positively. It was clear that they were an effective way to teach others about emotional experiences of parents and had the potential to enhance empathy. Many participants indicated that stories may influence their practice by enhancing understanding of the emotional needs of parents. Discussion: Digital stories appear to be an effective and evocative way of telling the stories of others and depicting their emotional experience from which we can learn. Emotions can be a source of knowledge, and digital stories representing the parents’ experience and emotions may enrich empathic learning. Conclusion: Value is placed on parent stories by students and staff in relation to enhancing empathic learning within the neonatal field. Digital stories can be one way of teaching emotional aspects of care that places the parents at the centre

Parents’ views on preparation to care for extremely premature infants at home.

Aim: To gain insight into the post-discharge experiences of parents in relation to the adequacy of preparation for caring for their extremely premature infant at home. Method: A narrative approach was drawn on to facilitate data collection, via face-to-face semi-structured interviews, with fourteen parents of extremely premature infants. Findings: Constant comparative analysis was employed to allow the emergence of five key research themes: Emotional and mental health of parents; uncertain outcomes; on-going health needs of the baby; education needs of health professionals; parental support and preparation for transition home. Conclusion: Parental experience of being discharged home with a premature baby can be emotionally challenging necessitating a range of support mechanisms to assist them to cope with this period of transition

Understanding evidence-based thermal care in the low birth weight neonate: Part 1: An overview of principles and current practice

Neonates are at a high risk of temperature loss. Those born at less than 30 weeks' gestation should be placed in a plastic bag or wrapped immediately at birth, drying the head and putting on a hat, while maintaining routine precautions, such as warming the delivery room, pre-warming surfaces and eliminating draughts. Environmental humidity greater than 50 per cent is required, with up to 85 per cent for extreme prematurity, subject to individual assessment. Using regular or, ideally, continuous monitoring, the child's central (core) body temperature should be maintained at 36.7-37.3 degrees C with a core-peripheral difference, if measured, of 0.5-1 degrees C. Stabilised newborns can be transferred from an incubator into an unheated bassinet or open cot at an optimum weight of > 1.6kg, however individual assessment of each neonate is essential before transferring out of the incubator. In the absence of sufficient research, fully evidence-based recommendations cannot be made and individual unit protocols should be followed with careful clinical judgement. In resource-limited settings--in developing countries around the globe, for example--staff should be trained in simple resuscitation techniques, with keeping newborns warm as a key objective.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The forgotten mothers of extremely preterm babies : A qualitative study

© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons LtdAims and objectives: To explore the experiences of mothers of extremely prematurebabies during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay and transition home. Background: Mothers of extremely preterm infants (28 weeks’ gestation or less) experience a continuum of regular and repeated stressful and traumatic events, during the perinatal period, during the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay, and during transition home. Method: An interpretive description method guided this study. Ten mothers of extremely premature infants who had been at home for less than six months were recruited via a Facebook invitation to participate in semi‐structured telephone interviews exploring their experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the transition home. The data were examined using a six‐phase thematic analysis approach. The COREQ checklist has been used. Results: Two main themes emerged: (a) things got a bit dire; and (b) feeling a failure as a mother. Participants had a heightened risk of developing a mental disorder from exposure to multiple risk factors prior to and during birth, as well as during the postnatal period in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and their infant's transition to home. Mothers highlighted the minimal support for their mental health from healthcare professionals, despite their regular and repeated experience of traumatic events. Conclusion: The mothers were at high risk of developing post‐traumatic stress symptoms and/or other mental health issues. Of note, study participants relived the trauma of witnessing their infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, demonstrated hypervigilance behaviour and identified lack of relevant support needed when their infant was at home. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study highlights the need for nurses to include a focus on the mothers’ psychosocial needs. Supporting maternal mental health both improves maternal well‐being and enables mothers to be emotionally available and responsive to their extremely preterm infant.Peer reviewe

Work of the NHS England Youth Forum and its effect on health services.

©2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.AIM: To examine the role of members of the NHS England Youth Forum (NHSEYF) and the strategies used to influence health service provision for children and young people. METHOD: An evaluative mixed-methods study was commissioned by NHS England and undertaken by the University of Hertfordshire between July 2015 and September 2016. Data collection comprised activity logs, a form of questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. FINDINGS: The analysis of the activity logs revealed that the young people were undertaking a wide range of activities across England. Seven themes emerged from the interviews: the young people; motivation; commitment; community (the local area as well as a community spirit); knowledge experts; youth workers; and funding. In summary, the members of the NHSEYF were committed to their role and their work was having a positive effect on health service provision. CONCLUSION: The NHSEYF has developed rapidly and successfully. It is enabling the voice of young people to be heard.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio