Nursing Frequency, Nursing Time, and Nursing Intervention Priorities depending on Neonatal Therapeutic Hypothermia Methods

Abstract

This study compared nursing frequency, nursing time, and nursing intervention priorities depending on the method of neonatal induced hypothermia. Methods: We observed 15 neonatal subjects receiving therapeutic hypothermia for 3 days each. Forty-five nurses experienced with nursing neonatal patients under therapeutic hypothermia provided responses about nursing intervention priorities. Analyses with the chi-square, the Fisher exact test, the paired t-test, the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were performed on the data using SAS version 9.4. Results: The frequency of nursing activities was higher for selective head therapeutic hypothermia (SHTH) than for systemic therapeutic hypothermia (STH), and nursing time was also significantly longer. In terms of nursing intervention priorities, there were priority differences in "risk for ineffective thermoregulation" and "risks for impaired skin integrity" for SHTH compared to STH. Conclusion: Since SHTH for neonatal therapeutic hypothermia requires more nursing time and frequent nursing activities than STH, STH is therefore recommended if the therapeutic efficacy is similar. Appropriate nursing personnel should be allocated for neonatal SHTH nursing. Nurses should be aware of nursing interventions for therapeutic hypothermia as the priorities are different for different methods of neonatal therapeutic hypothermia.