Stacy is a Registered Nurse and full time academic at Western Sydney University (Australia). Her research interests include vulnerable children and families, child protection and foster care.

Infant Mental Health is based on the understanding that the infant period of development lays the foundation for psychological, emotional and social development. The concept of attachment is fundamental to infant mental health. Loosely defined, attachment refers to an affective relationship between the infant and a particular, preferred individual (usually the infant’s biological mother). It is within this primary attachment relationship that infants develop their ability to emotionally self-regulate and socially interact. There is consistent evidence that compromised or absent attachment in infancy leads to significant social, emotional and psychological sequale in adulthood.\r\nNeonatal Abstinence Sydrome is a term used to describe infants who are born physically dependant on drugs of addiction. These infants require specialised treatment and are often hosptialised for extended periods of time. Current research and policy regarding hospitalised infants with NAS focus on symptom relief and physiologic health. There is a scarcity of literature or reference to the importance of promoting the mental health of these infants.\r\nSocial and health policy acknowledge the significance of the infant primary attachment relationship. However, in current clinical practice little is done to support or faciliate attachment for hospitalised infants with NAS. This is particularly problematic as infants with NAS often have limited to no interaction with their mothers due to poor maternal health, maternal issues of addiction and/or the involvement of child protection services. \r\nThis paper highlights the gaps in current policy, practice and research in relation to the mental health of hospitalised infants with NAS. Specifically, it highlights implications for nurses at the infant bedside and makes recommendation for future practice and research. \r\n

Zahra Imani-goghary is a PHD candidate in Nursing with a 10 year work experience in ICU ward and providing care to VS patients. Due to transferring the patient care to family caregivers in Iran, she decided to do some studies about their experiences, coping process and needs.

Background: Vegetative state (VS) occurs through re¬turn of the brain stem after coma state. After hospital discharge, responsibility of caring of VS patients is transferred to their families, which causes high burden to them.\r\n\r\nObjectives: To explore the family caregivers’ experiences of caring at home for a patient with vegetative state.\r\n\r\nMethod: This study is a part of a larger qualitative study which was performed in Kerman province, Iran during 2014-2015. Purposive and theoretical sampling was used. 16 caregivers participated in the study. Data were gathered by using face-to-face in-depth interviews and were managed by MAXQDA 10 software. Analysis was done through constant Comparative Method.\r\n\r\nResults: The main theme \"Bothersome care\" was derived from analysis. The categories include “high burden of caring”, “silent but alive patient”, “defect of support” and “caregiver social isolation”. These theme and categories represent caregiving burden which family caregivers experience during the care process of vegetative patients.\r\n\r\nConclusion: Family caregivers of VS patients due to the nature of disease, experience high physical, emotional and financial burden during caring process, they face with an alive but completely depended patient and an unmet need for social support and caregivers limit their social interactions due to society’s attitude.\r\n

Kimberly Derico has completed her BSN from West Virginia University School of Nursing and MSN from Marshall University School of Nursing. She is an assistant professor of nursing in the ASN program at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, USA, where she teaches in the maternal-child I, II & III courses. She has practiced nursing for 21 years in the following clinical areas: Level I Trauma/Medical/Surgical ICU, Level IV NICU, PICU, Pediatrics, Obsterical and Community School Nursing. She has taught in both ASN and BSN programs for 7 years in the following course areas: Fundamentals, Pediatrics, Maternity, Maternal-Child and Simulation Lab Coordination. \r\n\r\n

Informatics, which is defined by QSEN as: Using information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making; is one of the core competencies for nursing set forth by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) faculty. One of the QSEN core skills linked to informatics is documenting and planning patient care in the electronic medical record (EMR), a skill that can be confusing to a beginning nursing student. Nursing students can also become easily confused when learning assessment skills in the classroom, but accurate assessment skills must be achieved in order to complete accurate documentation. When assessing a patient, distinquishing what the assessment findings are and what should be documented in the electronic EMR to clearly communicate the findings are special skills that are vital to the nursing role, communication among care team members and patient safety. Linking these two skills in a real-life, fun and innovative way in the classroom can make for better overall understanding of each skill and its importance to safe patient care.