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Introduction: A good comprehension of the clinical profile and nursing diagnosis of newborn in Special Care Nursery (SCN) unit guides decision-making by nurses. In addition, it can become an initial basis for making plans for improving quality of care, management and nursing research. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical profile and nursing diagnosis of newborns in an SCN unit.Methods: It is a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study in SCN (Level II and III) with a sample of 77 medical records of newborns less than 31 days old in a national referral hospital. Descriptive analysis was used to identify demographic characteristic, the medical diagnosis and nursing diagnosis of newborns at birth and hospitalization.Results: Newborns treated in SCN unit are dominated by preterm with low birth weight (74%). Respiratory system disorders (55.8%) and infections (35.1%) dominate newborn problems both at birth or coming. Most nursing diagnoses when the baby is born or coming are the risk of infection (90.9%) and ineffective breathing patterns (76.6%). As for the treatment, most diagnoses show the risk of infection and hypovolemia.Conclusion: A good clinical profile and nursing diagnosis of newborns can guide nurses to decision-making. Continuous update on nursing diagnosis determination, improvement of nurses’ knowledge about the signs of deterioration, and future research that prioritizes issues in neonates are required to optimize nurses’ role in SCN units.

The global incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has increased significantly in the last decade. Symptoms of NAS manifest from the central and autonomic nervous systems as well as the gastrointestinal system and vary in severity and duration. The clinical management of infants experiencing NAS is dependent on symptoms and may include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures. In cases where symptoms are severe, infants may be admitted to special care nurseries or neonatal intensive care units. Existing research on nurses’ involvement in caring for infants with NAS focuses on pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to treat physical symptoms associated with NAS. This research sought to add to the body of knowledge around NAS and conveys nurses’ and midwives’ experiences of delivering care for infants with NAS. Semi-structured interviews were held with nine nurses/midwives. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Five themes emerged from the data. These themes are: Complex care needs, Prioritising physiological care, Experiencing compassion fatigue, Lacking continuity of care, and Stigma. The findings demonstrated the complex nature of care provision for infants with NAS. Competing priorities and the stigmatising nature of NAS threaten optimal care being delivered to these vulnerable infants and their parents.

The postnatal period is crucial for infants in establishing a connection with and security in primary caregivers and can have enduring effects on attachment patterns. However, due to the need for symptom management, many infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may be separated from primary caregivers and cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care nursery (SCN) soon after birth. Research has shown that substance-exposed infants are more likely to experience insecure attachment patterns with their primary caregivers and that mothers with a history of substance abuse are less sensitive to their infants’ cues. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore nurses’ and midwives’ experiences in promoting the attachment relationship for infants admitted to an NICU/SCN with NAS. A qualitative research design was used to gather data on the experiences of nine nurses/midwives from various NICU and SCN settings in Australia. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and transcribed interviews were coded using thematic analysis. While nurses/midwives valued the attachment relationship for infants with NAS, facilitation of the attachment relationship was mainly promoted when the mother was present. However, parents were often reported to be absent from the nursery. Difficulties in promoting an attachment relationship were also identified when an infant had child protection involvement. This research identifies areas in need of innovative change regarding the approach taken to promote the attachment relationship for infants with NAS when they are admitted to an NICU/SCN.

The aim of this study was to identify the clinical parameters indicative of serious etiology of neonatal hyperthermia and to determine the appropriate cutoff value of body temperature (BT) for predicting the need to transfer the newborn to the special care (SC) nursery. The nursery records of newborns diagnosed with hyperthermia between 2007 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical characteristics of newborns with hyperthermia remained in the nursery were compared with those transferred to the SC nursery. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the appropriate cutoff BT for predicting further septic workup in the SC nursery. Among the 92 newborns with hyperthermia evaluated, 30 (32.6%) were transferred to the SC nursery and 62 (67.4%) remained in the nursery. Clinical characteristics associated with transfer to the SC nursery included the highest BT, BT at first measurement during hyperthermia, frequency of hyperthermia, duration of hyperthermia, irritable crying, decreased appetite, poor activity, vomiting with abdominal distension, tachypnea, and tachycardia (all P