The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing
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J Perinat Neonatal Nurs · Apr 2004
Review Comparative StudyIssues in transfusing preterm infants in the NICU.
Decisions regarding whether or not to transfuse preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit are often difficult. Although numbers of red blood cell transfusions have decreased in recent years, transfusions are still a common occurrence. For each infant, the advantages of transfusion must be balanced against the consequences and potential risks. This article examines physiologic and iatrogenic causes of anemia in preterm infants, clinical consequences of anemia, the use of transfusions and their risks, and the role of erythropoietin therapy.
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J Perinat Neonatal Nurs · Apr 2004
ReviewDemonstrating a positive return on investment for a prenatal program at a managed care organization. An economic analysis.
Healthcare providers need information to guide the management of patient health while administrators focus on resource management. The underpinning of economic analysis, in the clinical setting, is that resources are scarce. ⋯ This article describes the ROI for a prenatal program developed at a Western New York Managed Care Organization (MCO). A positive ROI for the program under study will be demonstrated using a model of economic analysis.
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J Perinat Neonatal Nurs · Oct 2003
Meta AnalysisManagement of pain from heel stick in neonates: an analysis of research conducted in Thailand.
The heel stick procedure is the most common painful procedure performed in preterm and full-term neonates. Various nonpharmacologic interventions have been used for pain relief. However, the magnitude of the effect of different interventions has received little attention. ⋯ Swaddling in full-term newborns was found to have the largest mean effect size (dmn = 0.79). However, the moderate-to-large effect sizes (dmn = 0.5-0.75) of positioning in preterm newborns tended to exist throughout the poststick period while the effect sizes of other interventions decreased over time. The effect sizes of these interventions for physiological responses varied.
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J Perinat Neonatal Nurs · Oct 2003
ReviewNeuraxial analgesia for labor and birth: implications for mother and fetus.
Women are better educated today on issues related to labor and childbirth. Pain management options for the woman in labor have changed dramatically over the last decade. ⋯ The shift from regional anesthesia with significant motor-blockade during labor, where the woman is a passive participant during the labor and birth, to a collaborative approach for pain management, where the woman becomes an active participant, has resulted in a new philosophy of analgesia for labor and birth. This article provides a review of current neuraxial analgesia/anesthesia techniques used for pain management in labor and birth and their implications for the perinatal nurse.