Unit 6 - Final Draft of the Academic Argument Essay

Running head: Best Nursing Practice for Infants

Best Nursing Practice for Infants Receiving Palliative Care

Bindu Komara

Herzing University

EN-104 -8A: English Composition

8/2/2018

An introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis statement

This paper critically explores best nursing practice for infants receiving palliative care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In particular, the writing is concerned with the best nursing practices for compacting thermoregulation deficiencies that undermine the health of hemodynamically stable infants. The article is about the idea effective thermoregulation practices should be adopted to enhance the health of hemodynamically stable infants receiving palliative care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), (Crenshaw, 2014).

Background information

Immaturity of infants undermines the ability of their bodies to generate the heat required for physiological stability effectively. According to the center for disease control and prevention (2018), the infant mortality rate in the country was 5.9 deaths in every 1,000 live births. A key contributor to these deaths is thermoregulation deficiencies among hemodynamically stable infants receiving palliative care. Therefore, this discussion is anchored on the fundamental assumption that promotion of best nursing practices for infants receiving palliative care in NICU will substantially reduce the infant mortality rate. This is in line with the goal of the health sector to lower the price to below five deaths in 1000 live births by the year 2020.

Best nursing practices

Concerning thermoregulation among infants, Kangaroo Care is the best alternative for infants receiving palliative care. It refers to the method of holding infants in an upright position close to the chest of parents for some time. The approach does not only help in generation of much-needed heat but also facilitates breastfeeding (Crenshaw, 2014).

Use of radiant warmer bed is another best practice to this end. Commonly known as ‘baby them', the structure supplies heat through conduction and radiation. It is an artificial approach that mainly serves to supplement the Kangaroo Care (Crenshaw, 2014).

Opposing views

Critics of these best nursing practices cite potential drawbacks that can be attributed to them. On the one hand, Kangaroo Care on itself may be insufficient and largely depends on the ability of parents to engage it. On the other hand, the radiant warmer bed is deemed to pose health threats such as skin complications (Joseph, Derstine, Killian &Gephart, 2017).

Conclusion

Despite the few drawbacks associated with these best nursing practices, the overwhelming benefits that come along strongly justify their viability. Therefore, these nursing best practices should be applied to curbing the high mortality rate in the country.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (2018). Infant Mortality. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/infantmortality.htm

Crenshaw, J. T. (2014). Healthy birth practice# 6: Keep mother and baby together—it’s best for mother, baby, and breastfeeding. The Journal of perinatal education, 23(4), 211.

Joseph, R. A., Derstine, S., Killian, M., &Gephart, S. (2017). Ideal Site for Skin Temperature Probe Placement on Infants in the NICU. Advances in Neonatal Care, 17(2), 114-122.