Implications for observant Jewish families in the provision of mother's own and donor milk for their very low birth weight infant

Exploring cultural determinants to be integrated into preterm infant care in the neonatal intensive care unit: an integrative literature review

BACKGROUND

Cultural practices are an integral part of childrearing and remain a significant aspect for healthcare professionals to ensure culturally sensitive care, particularly in the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise literature on the cultural determinants that can be integrated into care of preterm infants admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit.

METHODS

The current review followed the integrative literature review steps proposed by Lubbe and colleagues. The registration of the review protocol was in PROSPERO. There was a literature search conducted in the EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases using the search string developed in collaboration with the librarian. Three reviewers employed a three-step screening strategy to screen the articles published in English between 2011 and 2021 that focused on culturally sensitive care. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Evidence critical appraisal toolkit assessed the methodological quality of the articles included at the full-text screening level.

RESULTS

There were 141 articles retrieved, and 20 included on the full-text screening level; the exclusion of one article was due to a low critical appraisal grade. Four topical themes emerged from 19 articles: spiritual care practices, intragenerational infant-rearing practices, infant physical care practices, and combining treatment practices.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the findings indicated that parental cultural beliefs and practices mostly influenced infant-rearing practices, emphasising the significance of integrating cultural practices when rendering healthcare services. The recommendation is that healthcare professionals understand various cultural determinants, mainly those specific to the community they serve, to provide culturally sensitive care.

Lactation after loss: supporting women's decision-making following perinatal death

Offering sensitive and compassionate clinical and bereavement care following perinatal death is the innate focus of the caring healthcare professional and facilitating informed choice around the subject of lactation following loss is an integral part of this. However, evidence suggests that there may be a deficiency in the provision of lactation advice and support following loss. Contributory factors may include a lack of awareness of lactation options following bereavement amongst midwives, as well as an absence of clarity around where the responsibility for offering lactation support and advice lies. This paper presents the literature surrounding the support of women's decision-making for lactation following perinatal death, explicating the physiology of lactation in the antenatal and postnatal periods, and exploring the challenges and opportunities for the midwife when supporting grieving mothers to decide the best option for them and their family.