The role of mothers during painful procedures on neonates: A focused ethnography

• Published in: Journal of neonatal nursing : JNN 2020-12, Vol.26 (6), p.340-343
• Main Authors: Hassankhani, Hadi, Negarandeh, Reza, Abbaszadeh, Mohammad, Jabraeili, Mahnaz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Experience; Mothering; Neonate; Nurses; Painful procedures; Qualitative approaches
• ISSN: 1355-1841; 1878-089X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnn.2020.03.002

To explore nurses and mothers experiences of their role during painful procedures on neonates in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Observing neonatal pain has been found to be one of the most stressful experiences reported by parents. The role of parents in controlling neonatal pain is a relatively new area of research in Iran. This qualitative study was conducted using a focused ethnographic approach. Participants were 15 nurses and 18 mothers in NICU of children's hospital in Iran. The Principal Investigator (PI), spent 200 h observing interactions between nurses and mothers over a period of 7 months (January to July 2017). Informal interviews were done to clarify ambiguities during observations. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were also conducted by PI with 15 nurses and 18 mothers. Three main themes emerged from data collection and analysis: (i) determining maternal presence at painful procedures, as assessed by the mother and nurses, (ii) negative impacts of a maternal role during painful procedure, and (iii) positive impacts of maternal role. The current study shows, when the mothers held a serious determination to relieve the pain of their baby, even when faced with the nurses’ opposition, they were present during the proceedings and could play an effective role in calming the baby. The study also showed that nurses have a key role to play in motivating mothers to strengthen their confidence to attend painful procedures.