Implementing an Evidence-Based Feeding Protocol: Impact on Nurses' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Feeding Culture in the NICU.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based feeding practices are often variable among neonatal providers due to lack of knowledge and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) feeding culture norms. PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in NICU nurses' knowledge, perceptions, feeding practices and culture following education about, and implementation of, an evidence-based Infant-Driven Feeding (IDF) protocol. METHODS: A pre-/postprospective comparative design was used to survey 120 registered nurses employed in a level 3 NICU about feeding practices, knowledge, and culture prior to IDF education and 1 to 2 months after IDF implementation. RESULTS: The preeducation survey yielded 59 respondents; of these, 30 responded to the same survey after IDF implementation. Postimplementation responses were significant for fewer nurses making decisions to begin oral feedings ( P = .035), greater use of gestational age to increase frequency of oral feeding attempts ( P = .03), less reliance on weight loss to decrease oral feeding attempts ( P = .018), an increase in use of combination interventions to prepare infants for oral feeding ( P = .001), and greater willingness to allow a rest period or stop the feeding if an infant falls asleep after completing 70% of the feeding ( P = .03). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Trends in several survey categories following the education program and implementation of IDF support the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) such as IDF. Future research focused on nurses' perceptions of how education influences integration of specific EBPs into practice is needed. Evaluating EBP mentorship combined with education about EBPs can provide insights on how best to integrate EBPs into practice.

Postpartum mothers' disclosure of abuse, role, and conflict.

Experts evaluating evidence of the occurrence and effects of abuse before, during, and after pregnancy have called for research on the context within which violence occurs. This study elicited postpartum mothers' perceptions of roles and conflict in their abusive intimate relationships. Thirty newly delivered African-, Anglo-, and Hispanic-American abused mothers consented to be interviewed. While ethnicity, cultural norms, and economic issues framed their descriptions, more than half (57%) described their relationships as not abusive even though they reported experiencing behaviors defined as abuse on standardized abuse screening instruments. Several women found ways to take care of themselves within the abusive relationship. The concerns that these diverse abused postpartum mothers expressed can serve as a foundation for the development of culturally sensitive interventions.

Childhood onset narcolepsy--a case report.

Narcolepsy is a disorder of the sleep-wake cycle with long-term sequelae. Although regarded as rare, it is probably under-diagnosed in both adults and children. Clinical heterogeneity, particularly in childhood, and development of symptoms over time, contribute to the delay in diagnosis and treatment. We present a case of a child with symptoms suggestive of narcolepsy. We discuss the merits of early intervention in selected cases, even when full diagnostic criteria are lacking.

Treatment of early onset bipolar disorder, NOS with low dose Carbamazepine.

This report describes the presentation, monitoring and successful treatment of an eight year old girl with bipolar disorder, NOS (not otherwise specified), with low dose carbamazepine. The difficulties of diagnosing and managing bipolar disorder in prepubertal children are discussed.