Analysis of Nurses’ Soothing Behaviors in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Focused on Babies with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurses’ behaviors while soothing newborns with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Methods: An observational study was used to assess nurses’ soothing behaviors. Data were collected from September, 2012 to March, 2013 using an audio-video recording system. Participants were eight babies and 12 nurses caring for those babies. After obtaining parental permission, the overall process of each episode from nurses’ engagement in soothing to the end of soothing was recorded. Then a researcher interviewed each participating nurse. Data from 18 episodes were transcribed as verbal and nonverbal nursing behaviors and then categorized by two researchers. Results: There were 177 observed soothing behaviors which were classified with the five sensory-based categories (tactile, oral, visual, auditory, vestibular). Most frequently observed soothing behavior was ‘Gently talking’ followed by ‘Removing irritant’, and ‘Providing non-nutritive sucking’. Nurses’ perceived soothing behaviors were similar to the observed soothing behaviors except for ‘Gently talking’. Conclusion: Nurses used diverse and mixed soothing behaviors as well as recognizing those behaviors as essential nursing skills. Nurses’ soothing behaviors identified in this study can be used to comfort babies and to enhance their developmental potential in accordance with individual characterstics or cues.