Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Nursing
Advisor
Barbara DiCicco-Bloom
Committee Members
Arlene Farren
Barbara Gail Montero
Subject Categories
Nursing
Keywords
neonatal, nurses, end of life, grounded theory
Abstract
Nurses with specialized training care for the approximately 7% of newly born infants who are admitted annually to neonatal intensive care units in the United States. Although they receive care at advanced levels, some infants will not survive. Nurses maintain a constant presence at the bedsides of these neonates to provide end of life care in units and institutions where the gold standard is cure and rescue. The purpose of this grounded theory research study was to understand how nurses managed the challenges and demands of caring for dying infants in the context of Level III neonatal intensive care units. The goal was to generate a practical theory that explained their basic social process or overriding pattern of behavior throughout this time. Data was collected during in-depth interviews with seventeen nurses who cared for infants around the time of their death until saturation of the emerging conceptual categories was achieved. An understanding of the interactions they engaged in and the strategies they employed as they cared for dying infants, parents, and other family members was established. The basic social process, everyone is watching, describes these behaviors, which occurred within unique contextual circumstances.
Recommended Citation
Lawrence, Deborah A., "Everyone is Watching: Mastering the Challenge of Caring for Infants at the End of Life While Being Constantly Observed" (2021). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4349