Smartphone and Internet Preferences of Parents: Information Needs and Desired Involvement in Infant Care and Pain Management in the NICU.

BACKGROUND: Despite an abundance of research that identifies the benefits for both parent and child when parents are actively involved in their infant's care, challenges related to the best methods to engage families persist. PURPOSE: To conduct a feasibility study that aims to understand the preferences of smartphone and Internet use by parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related to information seeking and active participation in infant care, with a focus on pain management interventions. METHODS: A paper-based survey was distributed to 90 parents in a tertiary-level NICU from September to November 2013. RESULTS: Response rate was 80% (72 of the 90). Ninety-seven percent accessed the Internet daily, 87% using their smartphone, and ranked it as an important source of NICU information (81%), more than books (56%) and brochures (33%). Participants reported a desire to have more information on how they could provide general comfort (96%), as well as greater participation in comforting their baby during painful procedures (94%). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Parents in the NICU want more information and greater involvement in their infant's care and pain management and place a higher value on the Internet compared with traditional resources. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Researchers and clinicians should work together to determine the quality of online resources to better support and evaluate parent use of the Internet as a health information resource. Future studies should examine parental preference regarding the optimal balance between online sources and face-to-face interactions.

Staff Nurse Utilization of Kangaroo Care as an Intervention for Procedural Pain in Preterm Infants.

BACKGROUND: Skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant, commonly referred to as Kangaroo Care (KC), has demonstrated efficacy as a pain-relieving strategy for infants, yet, it remains underutilized in clinical practice. PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in neonatal intensive care unit staff nurse beliefs, utilization, and challenges related to practice change in implementing KC as an intervention for management of procedural pain in preterm infants between 2 time points. METHODS: Nurses who participated in a larger clinical trial examining the sustained efficacy of KC were asked to complete a questionnaire at 2 time points: 1- and 6 month(s) following study initiation. Identified benefits, expectations, frequency of use, and challenges related to practice change uptake were described using frequencies and percentages. Data from the 2 different time points were compared using χ analysis. RESULTS: Of the 40 nurses approached, all completed the questionnaire (19 at the 1-month and 21 at the 6-month time point). Of the sample (n = 40), 97% of participants indicated that they expected KC to provide good pain relief or better. Staff nurses reported significantly improved preconceived ideas (χ = 22.68, P < .01) and significantly fewer concerns (χ = 22.10, P = .01) related to using KC as a pain-relieving intervention between the 2 time points. No significant differences were seen in the frequency of using KC as an intervention between time points. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: Despite increasingly positive preconceived ideas and reduced concerns, the frequency of using KC for procedural pain relief remained unchanged. Further research addressing ways to overcome barriers to utilizing KC as an intervention for procedural pain is warranted.