title: Assessment of neonatal nurses' behaviors that prevent overstimulation in preterm infants.
abstract: This study assessed the adoption by neonatal nurses of behaviors that prevent visual, auditory, and tactile overstimulations in preterm infants, as well as the intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms related to the adoption of these behaviors. The convenience sample consisted of 54 neonatal nurses working in three Montreal region teaching hospitals. A multiple-choice questionnaire, composed on the basis of a review of the literature and the Theory of Reasoned Action, was used for data collection. The results revealed that the nurses often adopted behaviors that prevented tactile overstimulation, and that their intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms all favored the adoption of such behaviors. However, more than the half of the nurses did not frequently adopt behaviors that prevent visual and auditory overstimulations, nor did their intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms favor the adoption of these behaviors. Findings suggest that neonatal nurses lack specific knowledge in this area and that they would benefit from the completion of an evidence-based educational program on the prevention of overstimulation of preterm infants prior to their employment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
authors.affiliation: McGill University School of Nursing, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3A 2A7. marilyn.aita@videotron.ca
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aita
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goulet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011792:Quebec; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*