Original scientific paper

Nurse attitudes in Croatia towards primary resuscitation of prematurely born infants

Iva Bilić ; Clinics of Ginecology and obstetrics, Clinical hospital centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Igor Prpić ; Klinika za ginekologiju i porodništvo, KBC Rijeka, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Jelena Radić ; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Petar Vukelić ; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Ana Petrović ; Klinika za dječje bolesti, KBC Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Emilija Juretić ; Klinika za ženske bolesti i porode, KBC Zagreb, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ivanka Furlan ; Klinika za ginekologiju i opstetriciju, KBC Split, Split, Hrvatska

Abstract

AIM: The aim was to determine the attitudes of nurses in Croatia toward primary resuscitation of prematurely born infants.
METHODS: A written questionnaire was distributed to the nursing staff wiith questions regarding their age, parity, work experience, work place and attitudes toward primary resuscitation of prematurely born infants. A total of 174 nurses completed the questionnaire; 49 of them working at the delivery room or in contact with pregnant women (DR/PW), 79 working at the pediatric/neonatal intensive care units (PICU/NICU), 46 working with the general population (GP).
RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences regarding age, parity and work experience among groups, nor in attitudes among DR/PW and PICU/NICU nurses
There was a statistically significant difference in attitudes toward primary resuscitation of infants born at 22nd and 23rd gestational week among DR/PW – PICU /NICU and GP nurses, as well as in attitudes toward primary resuscitation of infants born at 24th to 26th gestational week among PICU /NICU and GP nurses.
DISCUSSION: GP nursing staff has attitude to initiate more likely primary resuscitation of premature born infants than their colleagues in the comparative groups. Such results are consequences of the fact that PICU/NICU-DR/PW nurses have different experience towards the complexity of procedures applied in primary resuscitation of infants who are born at the margins of viability.
CONCLUSIONS: Working place i.e. experience at the particular working place, but not modern guidance in clinical bioethics, play major role in creation of attitude towards the primary resuscitation of prematurely born infants among nurses. Education in clinical bioethics should be continuous, in accordance with medical advances in neonatal intensive care and long term outcome of prematurely born infants.

Keywords

attitudes; bioethics; neonatal resuscitation; nurse; premature born infants

Hrčak ID:

26843

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/26843

Publication date:

1.9.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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