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Updated: May 18, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
NICU nurses' lived experience: caring for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome
Denise Maguire1, Mary Webb, Denise Passmore
1College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. dmaguire@health.usf.edu
Purpose:
The primary aim of this qualitative methods study was to describe the lived experiences of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses with ethical and morally challenging issues.
Subjects:
The target population for the study was registered nurses working in the NICU. Interviews were completed with 16 nurses from 1 hospital.
Design:
A phenomenological method design was used to describe NICU nurses' lived experiences with ethical and moral issues encountered in the NICU.
Methods:
After obtaining signed consent, the principal investigator interviewed all participants, using a semistructured interview guide consisting of open-ended questions.
Main Outcomes:
Ethical and moral distress related to neonatal abstinence syndrome was the predominant outcome.
Principal Results:
Caring for infants, coping with families, and discharging infants home were the major concerns voiced by nurses in this study.
Conclusions:
Nurses in this study struggled with issues of beneficence and nonmaleficence and were not aware of scientific evidence that guides methadone management of pregnant women.
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