Scoping review of systematic reviews of nursing interventions in a neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery

Jann Foster; Sheeja Perumbil Pathrose; Laura Briguglio; Suza Trajkovski; Patricia Lowe; Renee Muirhead; Jeewan Jyoti; Linda Ng; Nicole Blay; Kaye Spence; Natasha Chetty; Margaret Broom

doi:10.1111/jocn.17053

Scoping review of systematic reviews of nursing interventions in a neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery

J Clin Nurs. 2024 Jun;33(6):2123-2137. doi: 10.1111/jocn.17053. Epub 2024 Feb 9.

Authors

Jann Foster^{1

2

3

4}, Sheeja Perumbil Pathrose^{1

4}, Laura Briguglio^{1

5}, Suza Trajkovski¹, Patricia Lowe^{6

7}, Renee Muirhead^{8

9}, Jeewan Jyoti¹⁰, Linda Ng^{11

12}, Nicole Blay¹, Kaye Spence^{1

13}, Natasha Chetty¹¹, Margaret Broom^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
³ Ingham Research Institute, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ NSW Centre for Evidence Based Health Care: A JBI Affiliated Group, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ Neonatology, Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁶ Australian College of Nursing, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁷ School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁸ Neonatal Critical Care Unit, Mater Mothers' Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁹ School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁰ Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹² School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.
¹³ Australasian NIDCAP Training Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 38339771
DOI: 10.1111/jocn.17053

Abstract

Aim(s): To identify, synthesise and map systematic reviews of the effectiveness of nursing interventions undertaken in a neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery.

Design: This scoping review was conducted according to the JBI scoping review framework.

Methods: Review included systematic reviews that evaluated any nurse-initiated interventions that were undertaken in an NICU or SCN setting. Studies that reported one or more positive outcomes related to the nursing interventions were only considered for this review. Each outcome for nursing interventions was rated a 'certainty (quality) of evidence' according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations criteria.

Data sources: Systematic reviews were sourced from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence Synthesis for reviews published until February 2023.

Results: A total of 428 articles were identified; following screening, 81 reviews underwent full-text screening, and 34 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Multiple nursing interventions reporting positive outcomes were identified and were grouped into seven categories. Respiratory 7/34 (20%) and Nutrition 8/34 (23%) outcomes were the most reported categories. Developmental care was the next most reported category 5/34 (15%) followed by Thermoregulation, 5/34 (15%) Jaundice 4/34 (12%), Pain 4/34 (12%) and Infection 1/34 (3%).

Conclusions: This review has identified nursing interventions that have a direct positive impact on neonatal outcomes. However, further applied research is needed to transfer this empirical knowledge into clinical practice.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Implementing up-to-date evidence on effective nursing interventions has the potential to significantly improving neonatal outcomes.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public involvement in this scoping review.

Keywords: neonatal intensive care; nursing interventions; scoping review; special care.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal*
Systematic Reviews as Topic

Grants and funding

P00027437/Australian College of Neonatal Nurses