The subspecialty of nursing that deals with newborn babies born with a variety of problems ranging from cardiac malformations , infection, surgical problems, birth defects and prematurity is known as Neonatal nursing. This nursing generally incorporates care for newborns that experience prematurity problems, long-term or short-term illnesses right after birth. Infants are taken care of by neonatal nurses from the time of birth up to about 2 years of age or until they are discharged.
This nursing is variable and complex since the neonatal nurse provides the absolute care required by the ill infants and their families by educating their new mothers about breastfeeding, their baby’s medical condition and answering their questions on how to engage in parenting in the neonatal unit. They also connect them to technology that helps them to be fed so they can gain weight, giving breaths to the infants who have difficulties in breathing, performing of chest compressions if necessary, stimulating the baby to breathe and keeping the baby warm in the neonatal intensive care unit.
It is important to understand the perceptions about the current research in the neonatal intensive care unit since neonatal care in nursing is an important field of the healthcare team which impacts the decisions made by other healthcare professionals as well as parents’ regarding the medical care practices and participation in the clinical research of the infant.
In this setting evidence-based care is implemented by clinical practitioners for strong coordination and cooperation between researchers to increase healthcare workers and ability of medicine to treat this fragile population. High risk infant care may advance in an efficient manner by educating neonatal nurses about research procedures, empowering them to promote success in clinical research and improving communication. Based on the patient’s response highly intensive therapies and adjustments are implemented by neonatal nurses taking care of the sick infants since they require an intensive level of care which is offered at the neonatal intensive care unit.
Nurse-to-patient ratios are recommended based on the Infants condition of the severity level. The ratio is more than one nurse per baby for the most complex conditions to for every three to four babies one nurse for infants at a lower risk, this ensures proper staffing and identification of the high acuity infants which is the major assignment of a neonatal nurse. Neonatal care empowers nursing by facilitating the transmission of wisdom, experience, intuition and developing intellectual initiatives that preserve capital for the next generation of caregivers. In order to promote quality health and development of the high risk neonate, it is best to practice different strategies by investigating the neonatal intensive care unit about the ongoing clinical research.
Any facility offering birthing services has a neonatal care which coordinates the transport of premature or ill neonates, to a better level of care for healthy infants rooming with their mother or staying at the nursery for healthy newborns. A neonatal care nurse is required to know about resuscitation to ensure that she knows how to monitor pulse oximetry, initiate continuous cardiopulmonary and control the baby’s temperature. They also have to make sure that basic supplies are ready including a preheated incubator, endotracheal supply and respiratory services , umbilical catheter supply, suction equipment , a heat up warmer, peripheral arterial line supplies, orogastric tubes and an exoergic mattress incase the newborn is premature.
An immediate nursing intervention ensures neonatal stress is prevented by supporting the newborn during the transition period by making sure they experience the least stress possible immediately after they are born. This prevents neonatal hypoxia which is caused by thermal instability or an ineffective respiration after a baby is born. In case it is not reversed or dealt with during the first minutes of life, the lethal pulmonary hypertension of an infant can be triggered. Should that happen, the newborn’s healthcare provider should be informed so as to evaluate the infant and provide the interventions needed.
