Immigrant Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Barriers in Nursing Care

Abstract

Objective: The number of immigrants in the world is increasing rapidly. The vast majority of female immigrants are of reproductive age. Immigrant infants are added to the population every day. The purpose of this study is to determine challenges for neonatal intensive care unit nurses who care for infants of immigrant families. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological research design based on a semi-structured in-depth interview with 11 neonatal intensive care nurses. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for content analysis and responses were categorized into themes. Results: The two major themes identified from the data were: (1) language-related barriers and (2) culture-related barriers. Conclusion: Neonatal intensive care nurses who care for infants of immigrant families have communication problems as a result of the lack of interpreters and because of challenges cultural differences. This has the potential to affect the well-being. Study results can be used by nurses to improve the quality of care of immigrant infants and their families.