Sreevarenya J's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: A Quantitative Analysis on the relationship between methodology of care and nurse burnout in the context of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome BASIS Advisor: Amy Anderson Internship Location: Guidepost Montessori of North Scottsdale Onsite Mentor: Carolyn Burns

Project Abstract

With the rise of an opioid epidemic in the United States, there have been an increasing number of cases where women continue using drugs during their pregnancy.This results in a condition commonly known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome where babies experience severe drug withdrawal symptoms and are required to stay in a specialized care unit (NICU) for an indefinite period of time. Based on the severity of the withdrawal, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment combined with decreased environmental stimulation is initiated. However, both approaches require significant time and effort put in from the medical staff and care technicians. Of the medical team, nurses play an important role in the care and improvement of these babies. Previous literature on the subject of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome has suggested that there are various factors that may make nurses caring for an NAS baby a positive/negative experience, however, there have been no studies that have quantified burnout in nurses that work with NAS babies. This poses the question of: How does risk of burnout differ between nurses that work with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in two institutions with different models of care? The ultimate goal of this research study is to understand whether different institutional practices can affect the rate of burnout in nurses that work with NAS babies.