The 34.4 Selected Topics Issue for The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing contains a myriad of topics. In the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, some of these topics will resonate with the national and international readership. The commentary for this issue by Cylkowski covers the "Impact of Social Media on Academic Journals."
The continuing education article for the perinatal section is "The Effects of an Infant Calming Intervention on Mothers' Parenting Self-efficacy and Satisfaction During the Postpartum Period: A Randomized Controlled Trial." The authors, Botha et al, are from Finland. The 5 S's of infant calming technique are described. These findings can assist midwives and nurses to better support new mothers.
From China, Qin et al discuss "Comfort With Touch and Influencing Factors Among Chinese Midwives: A Cross-sectional Survey." Conclusions show that training and educational programs on touch are recommended for Chinese midwives to enhance awareness and acceptance of touch care.
Three articles from the United States complete the perinatal section. The first is by Giles, in which she presents "Implementing Screening Guidelines for Preeclampsia Prevention in a Birth Center: A Quality Improvement Project." This study demonstrated that screening for preeclampsia in birth center patients resulted in an increased use of low-dosage aspirin. This helped decrease the rates of hospital transfer from the birth center for preeclampsia.
Vanderlaan and Hall present "Systematic Review of Case Reports of Poor Neonatal Outcomes With Water Immersion During Labor and Birth." The findings did not support concerns of water aspiration or cord rupture but did identify other potential risks. They suggest that water birth guidelines must address the following issues going forward: infection risk, optimal management of compromised waterborne infants, and the potential association between immersion practice and hyponatremia.
The online perinatal article by Kuzma is focused on "Implementing Patient-Centered Trauma-Informed Care for the Perinatal Nurse." Such providers are key to patient- and family-centered trauma-informed care. We also welcome the readership to review the perinatal columns and Parting Thoughts, which focus on "Screening for Social Determinants of Health," "Placental Pathology and Liability," "Breastfeeding During Times of COVID."
This is the selected topics issue of The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, which means that we have a collection of articles covering various topics within neonatal nursing. Our CE article is from Drs Chang and colleagues, comparing the analgesic effects of nonpharmacological interventions on term newborns undergoing heel lance. Dr Waldrop reports on strategies for improving evaluation and treatment of hyperbilirubinemia, one of the most common conditions during the neonatal period. The value of using an acuity score for neonatal nursing research is assessed by Dr Carey, and Rothwell and colleagues report on newborn screening knowledge and attitudes among midwives and out-of-hospital birth parents. In addition to our articles published in print, we have 2 articles published online. Dr Cho and colleagues report on the associations between infant and maternal health and the degree to which prenatal glucocorticoid treatment has been completed. And, Dr Cheraghi and colleagues have published an article focused on the concept of dignity, which they found to be a cornerstone of the nursing care provided to hospitalized mothers of infants requiring intensive care. As always, we are grateful to our expert columnist Lisa Steurer for her contribution. In this issue, Dr Steurer, along with Sarah Franz, reports on implementing a novel therapy in the newborn intensive care unit during a pandemic. As Dr Steurer and Ms Franz remind us, "the show must go on." During this uncertain time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that you are finding strength and resilience to ensure that the show continues to go on for our patients, their families, and one another. Please know that we are thinking of our readers, our contributors, our wonderful editorial board members and reviewers, and all the perinatal and neonatal nurses who are on the front line of patient care. 2020 certainly is the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
-Diane J. Angelini, EdD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Perinatal Editor
-Katherine Gregory, PhD, RN, FAAN
Neonatal Editor