Search

Background: Breastfeeding and human milk have well-documented health benefits for newborn infants, particularly those who are sick. However, breastfeeding rates and human milk feeding among infants in neonatal intensive units (NICU) in Thailand are still low; thus, breastfeeding promotion and support are required for Thai mothers of premature infants. Newly graduated nurses can play a critical role within the healthcare support system and can have a significant impact on improving breastfeeding practices in the NICU. The objective of this study was to investigate the lived experiences and perspectives of Thai novice nurses on supporting breastfeeding and human milk feeding in the NICU. Methods: The study was conducted between March 2021 and May 2022 at three medical centers in the central region of Thailand. This study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore Thai novice nurses' experiences and perspectives on breastfeeding. Purposive sampling was used to invite Thai novice nurses who have work experience in providing breastfeeding support to NICU mothers and their infants to participate in online interviews using a video conference platform (Zoom). Semi-structured questions were used to interview study participants in their native language. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method of data analysis to identify emergent themes. Member checks, peer debriefing, and self-reflection were applied to ensure the validity and trustworthiness of the study results. Back-translation was also used as a quality and accuracy assurance. Results: A total of thirteen novice nurses agreed to participate in the study. All were female, and their ages ranged from 21 to 24 years old at the time of the interview. The researchers identified five major themes related to the overall study objectives and research questions. They are: positive attitude toward breastfeeding and human milk, facing breastfeeding challenges at work, self-confidence rooted in experience, professional skill needs, and requiring further support. Conclusions: Our results suggest that breastfeeding education plays a vital role in encouraging new nurses to provide breastfeeding support to mothers of preterm infants. Establishing breastfeeding support training and innovative learning strategies can be crucial in developing appropriate breastfeeding practice guidelines and policies to support Thai breastfeeding mothers in the NICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Newborn babies who require admission for specialist care can experience immediate and sometimes lasting impacts. For babies admitted to special care nurseries (SCN), there is no dataset comparable to that of the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN), which has helped improve the quality and consistency of neonatal intensive care through standardised data collection. Objectives We aim to establish a proof-of-concept, Victoria-wide registry of babies admitted to SCN, embedded within the whole-of-Victoria Generation Victoria (GenV) cohort. Methods This prototype registry is a depth sub-cohort nested within GenV, targeting all babies born in Victoria from Oct-2021 to Oct-2023. Infants admitted to SCN are eligible. The minimum dataset will be harmonised with ANZNN for common constructs but also include SCN-only items, and will cover maternal, antenatal, newborn, respiratory/respiratory support, cardiac, infection, nutrition, feeding, cerebral and other items. As well as the dataset, this protocol outlines the anticipated cohort, timeline for this registry, and how this will serve as a resource for longitudinal research through its integration with the GenV longitudinal cohort and linked datasets. Conclusion The registry will provide the opportunity to better understand the health and future outcomes of the large and growing cohort of children that require specialist care after birth. The data would generate translatable evidence and could lay the groundwork for a stand-alone ongoing clinical quality registry post-GenV.

Introduction: Free Newborn Care (FNC) service has been implemented to address the financial barriers to access sick newborn care in Nepal. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of FNC package in terms of its adequacy to support a facility financially and the factors to be considered for reimbursement schemes in the FNC guideline. Methods: This is a cross sectional retrospective study where 2907 newborns who received FNC service from 2019 Mar 15 to 2021 Jan 14 over 20 months were included. Descriptive statistics using frequency and percentages were used to describe the package received. Pearson's Chi squared test was used to determine if the various factors receiving different newborn packages were statistically significant or not. Results: Amount reimbursed by FNC package for 20 months fell short by NRs 1355541. Majority of preterm (58%), LBW (52.3%) and MAS (55.3%) received package C. Babies who received package C with single morbidity was 576 (37.3%) with two to three morbidities was 380 (48.7%) and with more than three morbidities was 301 (70.2%). Those newborns who stayed for four to seven days, majority 654 (53.4%) received package B, whereas those who stayed for eight to 14 days, 15 - 21 days and > 21 days, the majority 490 (38.4%), 66 (5.2%), 32 (2.5%) received package C respectively. There was an association between receiving package C mortality among cases (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Inpatient quality newborn care can save lives of many vulnerable newborns. FNC service has provided opportune context in care of sick newborns with promising results. However, revising the reimbursing schemes by focusing on length of stay, mortality and disease severity can better strengthen sick newborn care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal mortality currently accounts for 45% of all child mortality in Kenya, standing at 22 per 1000 live births. Access to basic but high quality inpatient neonatal services for small and sick newborns will be key in reducing neonatal mortality. Neonatal inpatient care is reliant on nursing care, yet explicit nursing standards for such care do not currently exist in Kenya. We reviewed the Nursing Council of Kenya 'Manual of Clinical Procedures' to identify tasks relevant for the care of inpatient neonates. An expert advisory group comprising major stakeholders, policy-makers, trainers, and frontline health-workers was invited to a workshop with the purpose of defining tasks for which nurses are responsible and the minimum standard with which these tasks should be delivered to inpatient neonates in Kenyan hospitals. Despite differences in opinions at the beginning of the process, consensus was reached on the minimum standards of neonatal nursing. The key outcome was a comprehensive list and grouping of neonatal nursing task and the minimum frequency with which these tasks should be performed. Second, a simple categorisation of neonatal patients based on care needs was agreed. In addition, acceptable forms of task sharing with other cadres and the patient's family for the neonatal nursing tasks were agreed and described. The process was found to be acceptable to policy-makers and practitioners, who recognised the value of standards in neonatal nursing to improve the quality of neonatal inpatient care. Such standards could form the basis for audit and quality evaluation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.