The Experiences of NICU Nurses in Caring for Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Abstract

The results suggest that nurses underrate the skill required to care for infants with NAS. The level of knowledge, patience, and commitment to these newborns should be reframed to increase job satisfaction, and education should be offered to nurses about women struggling with addictions.

Nursing infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome: Time to change practice?

“…Saiki et al (2009) and Abrahams et al (2007) reported that the presence of the mother significantly lessened the likelihood of the neonate needing medical intervention for drug withdrawal. Many authors emphasise the importance of the mother's presence during the infant's entire stay in hospital (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010;Velez and Jansson, 2008;and Kenner et al, 2000). The mother's presence has been found to reduce the need for treatment, reduce the length of treatment, and increase the speed of the infant's recovery (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010;Velez and Jansson, 2008;and Kenner et al, 2000).…”

“…Many authors emphasise the importance of the mother's presence during the infant's entire stay in hospital (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010;Velez and Jansson, 2008;and Kenner et al, 2000). The mother's presence has been found to reduce the need for treatment, reduce the length of treatment, and increase the speed of the infant's recovery (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010;Velez and Jansson, 2008;and Kenner et al, 2000). Encouraging the mother to touch, hold, talk to and look at her baby not only has positive effects upon the recovery time of infants with NAS, it also improves the infants' responses to sensory stimuli (Kenner et al, 2000).…”

“…Many nurses reported feeling emotionally isolated and frustrated when faced with the challenges of caring for an infant with NAS (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010). The perceived lack of support impacts detrimentally on the care provided for these neonates (Murphy-Oikonen et al, 2010).…”

“…These symptoms place emphasis on competent monitoring and sensitive nursing care in order to promote safe withdrawal and a successful transition to infant life without the requirement for continued pharmacological support. Recently, Murphy-Oikonen et al (2010) reported that nurses generally underestimated the knowledge needed to care for an infant suffering from NAS. MurphyOikonen et al (2009) also identified that nurses caring for infants with NAS did not feel well supported by clinical colleagues, who tended not to appreciate the specific nursing challenges or the importance of effective nursing care of these infants.…”

“…MurphyOikonen et al (2009) also identified that nurses caring for infants with NAS did not feel well supported by clinical colleagues, who tended not to appreciate the specific nursing challenges or the importance of effective nursing care of these infants. Murphy-Oikonen et al (2010) advise that nurses involved in caring for infants with NAS must be provided with specialist training, which would address all aspects of specific nursing care, as well as providing detailed information on addiction and drug use, so that the nursing staff can be more knowledgeable about the condition and feel greater empathy towards the mothers, as well as improving nursing morale and interprofessional support when managing these highly challenging cases.…”