Measuring preterm cumulative stressors within the NICU: The neonatal infant stressor scale

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stress experiences, while pervasive, are less likely than painful experiences to be managed in still-hospitalised preterm infants. AIM: We aimed to quantify the severity of common stressors for preterm infants with a view to providing a tool to manage presumed accumulated infant stress. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: Seventeen doctors and 130 nurses who work in Neonatal Intensive and Special Care Nurseries rated the perceived stress severity of 44 acute events and 24 chronic living conditions for preterm infants at three ages (32 weeks post-conceptional age) and for themselves. Acute items (such as heel lance) were organised into nursing, peripheral venous access, peripheral arterial acce..