Developmentally Supportive Care Among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses in South Korea

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE/ LITERATURE REVIEWPremature infants are a particularly vulnerable population, requiring specialized advanced medical interventions and professional nursing care for survival. 1

Effectiveness of Nicu nurses’ competence enhancement program for developmentally supportive care for preterm infants: A quasi-experimental study

“…In other words, the issue of development after survival of preterm infants emerges in the NICU. Therefore, developmental support care is needed to prevent developmental delays and promote optimal growth of preterm infants in the NICU [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Missed nursing care and its influencing factors among neonatal intensive care unit nurses in South Korea: a descriptive study

“…These infant-centered strategies require patience and time. Thus, in the fast-paced reality of the clinical nursing field characterized by the prioritization of safety, a lack of time, and inadequate working conditions [ 14 , 15 ], NICU nurses may feel developmental care to be laborious [ 26 ].…”

“…Most investigations on developmental care suggest education targeting nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about developmental care as a solution [ 14 , 15 ]. However, education is necessary when nurses’ levels of knowledge and perception are low.…”

“…However, education is necessary when nurses’ levels of knowledge and perception are low. The fact that developmental care was the most frequently missed item in this study, even though Korean NICU nurses perceived developmental care to be important [ 15 ], suggests that interventions to enhance developmental care should adopt a new approach. Interventions focusing on work system-related factors rather than education may be more effective at enabling nurses to carry out the necessary developmental care.…”

“…In the existing body of literature in Korea, studies on missed care have been conducted mostly in adult settings [ 12 , 13 ]. Studies conducted in the NICU have focused on individual activities, such as developmental care, outside the comprehensive context of other NICU activities [ 14 , 15 ].…”