Nurses' Experiences with Providing Newborn Screening Education to Mothers in the Hospital: An Exploratory, Qualitative Research Study

Newborn screening (NBS) parent education is an important component of a well-functioning NBS program. Postpartum nurses are in an important position to educate parents about NBS, but their experiences have not yet been captured in the literature. This qualitative study sought to explore nurses' experiences with providing NBS education to mothers on the postpartum unit by conducting one-on-one interviews with postpartum nurses and nursing leaders. An explanatory framework was developed which showed that although postpartum nurses were actively involved in providing both written and verbal information about NBS to mothers and viewed it as their responsibility, organizational factors and nurses' desire to be responsive to mothers' perceived preferences and needs limited the amount of time postpartum nurses spent on this education and the depth to which they provided it. This research illuminated the context in which NBS education occurred and suggests several research and policy implications.M.Sc.2016-05-19 00:00:0