title: Neonatal Nurses NICU Quality Improvement: Embracing EBP Recommendations to Provide Parent Psychosocial Support.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a stressful environment for infants, their families, and the healthcare team. There is an immediate need for neonatal nurses to embrace and translate the new National Perinatal Association recommendations for psychosocial support of NICU parents into clinical practice to demonstrate best practices for infants, their families, and the whole team.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the current evidence-based practice recommendations and to provide suggestions for team members to develop strategies to adopt and implement them through quality improvement (QI) projects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature reviews were conducted by the original 6 National Perinatal Association workgroup teams and covered all levels of available evidence (eg, qualitative, quantitative, and clinical research, guidelines, and clinical and parental expertise). Evidence was synthesized to formulate this set of recommendations published in December 2015. We describe their applicability to the vital role of neonatal nurses, while elucidating QI projects that track measurements of change to translate these recommendations into practice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neonatal nurses are in an ideal position to transform systems of support for NICU parents through the adoption of these recommendations at the bedside, and further to identify areas for QI to enhance implementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal nurses are integral to problem solving and identifying QI strategies for translating these recommendations into NICU clinical practice to improve parent psychosocial support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article disseminates evidence and encourages scientific investigation into various methods of supporting emotional health of NICU parents to create better health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: HS Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Pediatrics Department/Neonatology & Developmental Biology, Los Angeles, California (Dr Purdy); Pediatrics Department/Neonatology & Developmental Biology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California (Dr Melwak); Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, Advanced Practice Clinical Scientist, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St Louis, Missouri (Dr Smith); School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science/The College of New Jersey, Ewing (Dr Kenner); Department of Nursing/University of Iowa Children's Hospital, Iowa City (Dr Chuffo-Siewert); Nurse Education Program, Elmira College, Elmira, New York (Dr Ryan); Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dr. Geller); and Division of Neonatology/St John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard, California (Dr Hall).
authors.forename: Isabell B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.forename: Mary Alice
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Melwak
authors.forename: Joan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kenner
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chuffo-Siewert
authors.forename: Donna J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000379:methods*; D022143:Family Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D000072858:Psychosocial Support Systems; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012657:Self-Help Groups