It is essential that neonatal practitioners are able to use their theoretical knowledge in clinical practice in an appropriate manner, in order to render competent quality care to the critically ill neonate. However, theory and practice integration is also very difficult to achieve. Managers of neonatal units and neonatal students had voiced concerns regarding the integration of theory and practice in the neonatal programme offered by an Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Therefore the purpose of this research was to develop standards and criteria to facilitate the integration of theory and practice in the IHE Neonatal Programme A combined qualitative/quantitative exploratory, descriptive, contextual approach was followed, based on Muller's Model for the Development of Nursing Standards (1990:49-55). The design consisted of a development phase and a quantification phase. Standard development began with conceptualisation, that is, the definition of the research concepts and the integration of the study into existing theoretical frameworks. The legislative frameworks used for the study were those of the South African Qualifications Authority and the South African Nursing Council, that govern nursing education and nursing practice. The theoretical frameworks promote theory/practice integration. Standards and criteria were developed from the legislative and theoretical frameworks in order to facilitate the theory/practice integration of the IHE neonatal programme. Ten experts who met specific criteria for inclusion in the study were then asked to validate the standards. The quantification phase consisted of the statistical determination of the content validity of the standards, using a questionnaire. The original ten experts together with another forty participants who complied with specific inclusion criteria, were asked to evaluate the standards, using a four-point rating scale. A standard or criterion with a content validity index of 3.5 to 4. 0 was accepted as valid. The results of the data analysis for the fifty participants showed that all criteria had a mean score of over 3. 5 and thus could be considered valid and useful as a guideline for neonatal programmes. However it was evident from standard deviation scores that the expert group showed greater consensus than the additional participants regarding the validity of the standards. Further research may therefore be required in order to confirm the validity of the standards and criteria.

M.Cur. / The neonate has the right to quality nursing care and the Neonatal Intensive nursing care practitioner is personally and professionally-ethically liable for quality nursing care. The process of quality improvement is a structured, planned and purposeful action where standards are set and the nursing care is evaluated after which remedial steps are taken to improve quality nursing care. In this study the focus is on the first step in the quality improvement cycle; the setting of standards. The central theoretical statement is as follows: standards for Neonatal Intensive nursing care facilitate quality nursing care in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit. The purpose of the study is to describe and formulate standards for Neonatal Intensive nursing care which can be utilised as an accreditation instrument for institutional self evaluation to improve quality nursing care. The aim of the study is justified by means of a descriptive, explorative, contextual research design. Standards for Neonatal Intensive nursing care were developed and validated by utilising a threephase research method. In phase one subjects for standards were identified by a panel of six experts. They were chosen according to their academic qualifications and nursing experience. The identification was done by means of a critical debate, after which a preliminary conceptual framework was formulated. During the second phase a comprehensive literature control was undertaken to refine the preliminary conceptual framework. The final conceptual framework, that was formulated during phase two, served as a basis for the description and formulation of standards. The standards were divided as unit management standards and clinical nursing care standards. During the third phase a final validation of the standards occured by means of a consencus debate between the experts that were used in the first phase. An accreditation instrument was developed to be utilised for institusional self evaluation in order to facilitate quality nursing care. The standards comply with content validity within the context of a Neonatal Intensive Care unit in a private hospital in Gauteng. It is recommended that the standards are validated nationally in the Neonatal Intensive Care practice in order to be implemented after inservice training to the different role players. The following hypotheses is set for testing: standards for Neonatal Intensive nursing care improve quality nursing care in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit.

D.Cur. / The purpose of this study was to formulate clinical guidelines for critical nursing actions in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Currently each NICU has their own set of policies and standards for various procedures relevant to NICUs. There is thus no standardisation of nursing methods between the increasing numbers of NICUs. Uniform standards are of significant importance with regards to the nurses working in the units on a freelance basis through nursing agencies. The nurses often work in more than one unit and are thus subjected to various methods of performing one task ...

Thesis (MCUR)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has a proud history of a high standard of health care delivery in State funded hospitals. This implies that high standards of education and care in both medical and nursing training have been achieved. The care of sick and premature newborn infants by nurses is a speciality that has evolved worldwide over the last forty years as a result of various technological developments. In order to ensure the standard of care delivered, protocols of care should be available for nurses to refer to and to measure their work against. There were no protocols of care available in the two Neonatal Units (NICUs) used in this study. Using a non-experimental, exploratory descriptive design, the researcher set about measuring the quality of nursing care in the NICUs. Standards (structure, process and outcome) were written by the researcher, and validated. The results showed that the standards were not met at an acceptable level in various areas. One of the areas of great concern was the lack of effective hand washing. Outcome standards which reflect the consequences of care indicated serious shortages of staff in some cases and insufficient staff training. Recommendations are that a Quality Assurance Program should be introduced with training and education of the nurses working in the NICUs and the introduction of evidencebased practice. Future research should aim at showing the way to improve the service delivered. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika het ‘n trotse geskiedenis van ‘n hoë standard van gesondheidsorgdienslewering in Staatsbefondsde hospitale. Dit impliseer dat hoë standaarde in mediese en verpleegopleiding bereik is. Die versorging van siek en premature pasgebore babas deur verpleegkundiges is ‘n spesialiteit wat oor die afgelope veertig jaar wêreldwyd ontwikkel het as gevolg van verskeie tegnologiese ontwikkelings. Ten einde te verseker dat ‘n hoë standard van sorg gelewer word, moet protokolle beskikbaar wees vir verpleegkundiges om te gebruik en hulle werkverrigting teen te meet. Daar was geen protokolle beskikbaar in die twee neonatale eenhede wat in hierdie studie gebruik is nie. ‘n Nie-eksperimentele, verkennende, beskrywende ontwerp is deur die navorser gebruik om die gehalte van verpleegsorg in die neonatale eenhede te evalueer. Standaarde (struktuur, proses en uitkoms) is deur die navorser opgestel en gevalideer. Die resultate toon aan dat die standaarde in verskeie areas nie aanvaarbaar nagekom word nie. ‘n Kommerwekkende bevinding was die afwesigheid van effektiewe was van hande. Uitkomsstandaarde wat die resultaat van sorg weerspieël, het aangedui dat daar ernstige tekorte aan personeel in sommige gevalle bestaan het asook onvoldoende opleiding van personeel. Aanbevelings is dat ‘n Gehalteversekeringsprogram ingestel behoort te word en met die opleiding van verpleegkundiges werksaam in die neonatale eenhede en evidence-based practice aangespreek moet word. Toekomstige navorsing behoort aan te dui hoe om die diens wat gelewer word, te verbeter.