Evidence Based Nursing Research

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Evidence Based Nursing Research
Name
Lecturer
Course
Date

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Evidence Based Nursing Research
1. Provide an overview of the area of evidence uncertainty and justification of why this topic was
selected, including overall significance of the problem.
The main question in this study is: Is skin to skin contact more effective than incubator
when it comes to the prevention of hypothermia? A newborn child often faces a challenge
fitting into a new environment in which it had not been before. A child can stabilise its
temperature by having a skin-to-skin contact with the mother or by spending the first days in n
incubator. This kind of care is mostly recommended for the children with a low-birth weight. A
child who is born after nine months is usually mature and has the right birth weight (Schaaf,
Vergara-Tabares, Peralta, Díaz & Peluc 2018). Meaning, such a child can cope up with life as a
newborn without unnecessarily having an artificial support. At the same time, such a child has
higher chances of surviving and leading healthy life if provided with appropriate care. However,
this does not always apply to those born prematurely-before nine months (Chan, Labar, Wall &
Atun 2016). Such children require additional support either by becoming into a direct body
contact with the mother/care taker or and they should be supported by an artificial incubator.
Both skin-to-skin and incubation have been proven to be helpful when it comes to the upbringing
of such premature babies. They are also suitable for any other normal child. Each of them has
made significant contributions in providing the required support to such infants and increasing
their chances of survival after birth and prevention of hypothermia (Schaaf, Vergara-Tabares,
Peralta, Díaz & Peluc 2018).
However, despite the significant contributions of these practices, there are still
uncertainties that the current and previous researches have not resolved (Conde‐Agudelo & Díaz‐
Rossello 2016). There are some uncertainties that are identified in the evidence based practice, in

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that the practice can a times be harmful for the mothers who have undergone caesarean section
(Seidman, et al. 2015). The wounds do take a lot of time to heal and if the mother adopts the
kangaroo care it can be harmful. There is also lack of enough education to the staffs on the skin
to skin care and the parents too are not given enough education on the benefits the practice
(Boundy, et al. 2015). This topic was selected because it has contributed to reduction of the
infant death and it is a new practice that has been introduce in most hospital to prevent infant
mortality. There are several benefits of the skin to skin care; the baby will be safe in that there
will be reduced infection of the infant at early months, the baby will not loss so much weight,
there will be more rest time and natural cycle of sleep.
From this preview, it is evident that both the skin-to-skin and the incubation care have
strengths as well as weaknesses that revolve around their usage. The topic is, therefore,
important because it will help in addressing the uncertainties that have surrounded the use of
skin-to-skin and artificial care for the newborn children. It seeks to conduct a rigorous research
to find out an answer on the best alternative to adopt for the infants (Schaaf, Vergara-Tabares,
Peralta, Díaz & Peluc 2018). The overall significance of the research, hence, is to provide a
recommendation on the best mode of care that the parents should adopt for their children.
2. Summarise the current use of evidence based practice in the Australian health care setting, in
relation to their topic; this may include anecdotal experience of the issue in practice.
According to the Department of Health, maternity care is an area of concern. The
department has been investing resources to support prenatal and neonatal care because it means a
lot for the Australian mothers and infants. Maternal care still remains a major issue of concern in
Australia. The Pediatric Association of Australia is concerned that there are so many low-weight
children who are born in the country each month. Most of these children are always at a risk of

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contracting hypothermia. Research has established that hypothermia is a condition that results
from the exposure of the body to extreme cold (Schaaf, Vergara-Tabares, Peralta, Díaz & Peluc
2018). It usually takes place when the body temperature declines to below 35.0 °C. At such a
temperature, the body absorbs less heat than it dissipates. Such a condition can be disastrous for
a new born because it cannot actually cope-up with it (Conde‐Agudelo & Díaz‐Rossello 2016).
In this regard, it should be the responsibility of the parents and the maternal care providers to
provide that kind of child with the necessary support that it needs. Research has reported that
low-birth weight is a problem in Australia (Anderson, Crengle, Kamaka, Chen, Palafox &
Jackson-Pulver 2006). However, the Australian mothers have a relief because they can rely on
the kangaroo and incubation care to bring up their hypothermia-risky infants. The use of
kangaroo and incubation should, however, not be restricted to those with low-birth weight, but to
all the infants in Australia because it means a lot for their health and growth.
Personally, I not only know about incubation and skin-to-skin care because I have read
about it. Apart from the evidence I have gathered from scientific research, I have an anecdotal
experience about them. I remember an instance when my auntie gave birth to a low-weight child
in one of the hospitals in Sydney. Although my auntie and her husband wanted to put the child in
an incubator, the medics recommended a skin-to-skin care. We had no choice, but to listen and
abide by our medic’s advice. The end result is that the child was given a kangaroo care which
ended up providing it with a conducive condition for growth. My auntie managed to organize
how to start breast feeding as well as creating a close relationship with the kid (Gabrysch,
Civitelli, Edmond, Mathai, Ali, Bhutta & Campbell 2012). Through a continued kangaroo
support, the child managed to develop and grow up to be mature, intelligent, healthy, and active