Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
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Identification and management of neonatal nosocomial
infection: a quantitative study.
Edna Woolhead RGN, RM, BSc (Hons) Neonatal Studies, Msc,
FFNMRCSI
Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1
(01) 8730700 Bleep 884
ewoolhead@rotunda.ie
Due to advances in science, technology and pharmacology
increasing numbers of premature, sick newborn infants survive.
Despite these advances, infection continues to be a major cause of
morbidity and mortality. Identification and subsequent management
of septic infants is fraught with difficulty due to the non-specific,
subtle nature of clinical presentation, the variety of possible
differential diagnoses and the unavailability of specific, sensitive and
definitive diagnostic tests.
The aim of this study was to determine the current state of practice
regarding identification and management of nosocomial infection in
a large Irish neonatal unit.
A quantitative descriptive approach was adopted with information
collected from a non-probability sample using a questionnaire
developed for this purpose. An initial pilot study was conducted.
Data was analysed using SPSS Version 11.
Results identified very preterm, low birth weight infants as those at
risk, with 50% of cases