Abstract

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a group of symptoms that occurs in infants who were exposed to drugs in utero that their mother took while pregnant. NAS is becoming more prevalent as the drug epidemic worsens. Affected infants face complications within days of birth and throughout their life. Discharge from the hospital is a vulnerable time in which errors can be made. One role of nurses is to provide education to the caregivers of NAS infants and to prepare them to care for the infant after discharge. This paper discusses the development of a standardized discharge checklist which will allow for nurses to provide accurate, evidence-based education to caregivers of infants with NAS. The checklist is a tool that allows the nurse to educate the caregiver without having to rely on their own memory. Caregivers will be provided with written materials on top of face-to-face education to give them resources to refer to after discharge. The development of a standardized discharge checklist will ensure that caregivers of infants with NAS are empowered and educated to care for their infant which will improve quality and safety outcomes for these infants. This quality improvement project will provide both nurses and caregivers of NAS infants with the educational resources needed to provide effective care for infants with NAS.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 2019

Mentor

David L. Coffey

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Nursing

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing

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