Nurses’ attitudes towards families in neonatal units

Abstract

Objective: To analyze nurses’ attitudes towards families of newborns hospitalized inneonatal units. Method: This is a survey carried out in ten municipal hospitals in SãoPaulo. Two questionnaires were applied, one from the sociodemographic profile andthe other from the characterization of neonatal units, and the Importância das Famíliasnos Cuidados de Enfermagem – Atitudes dos Enfermeiros scale. Parametric tests ANOVA,Pearson’s correlation and Tukey’s multiple comparison were applied. Results: The sampleconsisted of 145 nurses. Most participants had a mean age of 43.7 (± 9.4) years, werefemale, nursing assistants, have graduated for more than five years and worked at theunit for less than five years. The total score showed a good attitude towards families(77.7), with statistical significance for an 8-hour working day (p=0.004); supervisorposition (p=0.027); participation in short-term courses (p=0.029); written protocols onfamily care (p=0.031). Conclusion: Although nurses perceive themselves with positiveattitudes towards families, it is necessary to invest in training and changes in structureand organizational processes aimed at including families in neonatal units