A Study on Passing on Nursing Practice for Families from Senior Nurses to Junior Colleagues at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU)

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to elucidate the current status of family nursing practices adopted by senior neonatal intensive care unit （NICU） nurses, identify methods for imparting these practices, and clarify challenging factors.

Methods: A self-developed questionnaire survey was administered to nurses with at least three years of experience working in a NICU at perinatal medical centers across Japan. The three domains of the questionnaire, namely “current status of family nursing practices,”“ methods for imparting family nursing practices,” and“ challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices,” were subject to basic statistical and factor analysis, the mean values for“ current status of family nursing practices” were compared with those for“ methods for imparting family nursing practices,” and “challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices,” and the correlation coefficients for “methods for imparting family nursing practices” and “challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices” were determined.

Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 102 nurses （response rate, 56.7％）. Factor analysis revealed that “methods for imparting family nursing practices,” consisted of four factors and “challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices,” consisted of five factors. Each score for the composite variables was between 2.69 and 3.00. The factor analysis revealed that“ methods for imparting family nursing practices” consisted of four factors and“ challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices” he following correlations were observed between“ own efforts” and“ communicating one’s experience of family nursing practices,” for“ efforts by the entire workplace” with “guidance according to the situation of the junior member” and “providing practical guidance on family nursing practices,” for“ own efforts” with“ aversion towards educating junior members” and“ anxieties towards nursing related to one’s own family,” and between“ efforts by the entire workplace” and“ low motivation of junior members.” As for the correlation between“ methods for imparting family nursing practices,” and“ challenging factors related to imparting family nursing practices,” negative correlations were observed between “building a relationship with junior members” and “low motivation of junior members” and for “aversion towards educating junior members” with“ providing practical guidance on family nursing practices” and “communicating experience.”

Discussion: The present results show that senior nurses with more family nursing practice were imparting implicit knowledge to junior nurses and were not finding it difficult to impart their practices. Furthermore, those who responded that their entire facility was engaged in family nursing practices were more likely to consider the relationship with and the readiness of the junior members when imparting their practices.