Nurses' experience with implementing developmental care in NICUs.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gain insight into nurses' (N = 8) experience of working in a neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) that incorporated the developmental-care approach. Although Als's model is family centered, the basic social process identified by nurses was putting the baby first. The process of putting the baby first was uncovered using grounded-theory methodology. The process included three phases: learning, reacting, and advocating/nonadvocating. In each of the phases, four main concepts--encountering, appraising, supporting, and gaining sensitivity--emerged from the data. Nurses appraised the advantages and disadvantages of this therapeutic approach not only to the infant but also to themselves.