The 21:4 issue of the Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing (JPNN) focuses on Selected Topics in perinatal and neonatal care. The perinatal section has a wide selection of topics, including rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, obstetric triage, intimate partner violence, and stress and health-promoting behaviors in high-risk pregnant women.
Intimate partner violence, during and after pregnancy, is presented by Kramer. She outlines clinical approaches to pregnant women who have experienced such violence. Several process theories are reviewed in the article. The construct of stages of change is used as the basis for interventions meant to assist healthcare providers in caring for women in their struggle to survive abuse.
Dennis et al detail rapid HIV testing in labor and delivery using Mother-Infant Rapid Intervention at Delivery. This intervention is used to study rapid HIV testing of women who present late in pregnancy/labor and delivery and/or arrive with unknown HIV status. The experience of 2 hospitals in Georgia is reviewed. Implementation issues focus on having policies in place for testing, notification, and treatment of pregnant women as well as designating staff support.
The relationship between perceived stress and health-promoting self-care behaviors in women experiencing high-risk pregnancies was studied by Stark and Brinkley. In a small, descriptive, correlational study of 69 women, stress and health promotion profiles and scales are used for assessment. They noted that women who engage in more health-promoting behaviors may experience less stress, but the causal relationship between stress and health promotion is unknown. Techniques to support health promotion are offered.
Zocco et al designed a study to determine whether a triage room and/or standing orders decreased length of stay as compared to the existing system of evaluating women in regular labor rooms. Study results showed that using a triage room and/or standing orders did not significantly decrease length of stay. The authors conclude that the triage process in this particular setting is highly dependent on provider availability. They discuss this and how the employment of other providers could change how the triage room is utilized.
The neonatal topics for this issue include research, development of a neonatal nursing knowledge assessment tool, and neonatal ventilation. Research provides the science upon which nursing is based. Increasingly, nursing is focused on evidence-based practice, yet the reality is that much of practice remains tradition based and more science remains to be discovered. McGrath focuses her column on the importance of research to nursing practice and the importance of nurses participating in the research process.
The guest editorial by Sugrue et al focuses attention on the pervasive impact of poverty on maternal and child health globally. This editorial is part of an effort launched by the Council of Science Editors on a Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development for October 2007. Journals throughout the world are simultaneously publishing papers on this topic of worldwide interest to raise awareness, stimulate interest, and encourage research into poverty and human development. This is an international collaboration with journals from developed and developing countries.
Vaivre-Douret and Golse present their French study comparing 2 positional supports: a commercial product and nurse-made supports. Although not statistically significant, infants using the commercial product showed better global behavior, including cooperation, agitation, and lethargy, and sustained visual attention (> minute) or unstable visual attention using visual tracking. This emphasizes the importance of positioning in the NICU.
The research by Hamilton et al focuses on differences described by nurses between weekend and weekday work environments. The article highlights some of the positive and negative effects on care that nurses describe in relation to the weekend and weekday differences, offering insights into potential strategies for dealing with the challenges of the weekend work environment.
Toth describes the process of developing and testing the NICU Basic Knowledge Assessment Tool for basic knowledge. Defining and measuring nursing knowledge have gained increasing importance as part of professional responsibility and accountability.
Askin provides a comprehensive clinical review of neonatal ventilation and use of continuous positive airway pressure in the care of neonates with respiratory conditions, offering neonatal nurses a thorough historical and current view of ventilatory support for newborns.
Diane J. Angelini, EdD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, CNAA, BC, Perinatal Editor
Janet Carroll Brookman, DSN, RN, Issue Editor (Perinatal)
Susan Bakewell-Sachs, PhD, RN, APRN, BC, Neonatal Editor