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Effects of a Noncontact Visit Program in the NICU for the Prevention of COVID-19

Background: With the spread of COVID-19, neonatal intensive care units restricted visiting hours to prevent infection. As a result, mothers of high-risk newborns were restricted from making contact with their children. Various problems could be encountered for hospitalized children and mothers of hi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ahn, Hye Young, Jo, Hee Jee, Ko, Hyun Jeong
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10419116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37570392
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11152152
Descripción
Sumario:Background: With the spread of COVID-19, neonatal intensive care units restricted visiting hours to prevent infection. As a result, mothers of high-risk newborns were restricted from making contact with their children. Various problems could be encountered for hospitalized children and mothers of high-risk newborns due to restrictions on visits in the neonatal intensive care unit. Therefore, during the pandemic, continuous nursing support for mothers of high-risk newborns was needed. Methods: In this study, a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design was employed. The subjects of the study were 36 mothers of high-risk neonates (20 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group) in E University Hospital, D Metropolitan City, from July to September 2022. The experimental group received a 10 min program performed by a nurse from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. three times per week. Results: There were significant differences in nurses’ support between the experimental and control groups (F = 25.594, p < 0.001), changes over time (F = 16.178, p < 0.001), and time–group interactions (F = 9.663, p = 0.003). Conclusions: It was interpreted that the real-time noncontact visitation program could transcend time and space for many mothers of high-risk newborn babies, who suffered psychologically due to restrictions and bans on visitations during the COVID-19 pandemic.