Application of a Documentary about High-risk Newborns in Nursing Education: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' recognition and understanding of the clinical environment of high-risk neonatal nursing care after watching a documentary about the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where high-risk newborns are treated. Methods This study was a qualitative content analysis. In total, 151 nursing students’ personal essays describing their reactions to a documentary about the NICU were analyzed using the NVivo 12 program. Results Nursing students’ experiences of engaging with a documentary about the NICU were structured into four thematic categories: ‘actual observations of the imagined NICU’, ‘observation and recognition of nursing knowledge’, ‘empathy with people related to the baby’, and ‘establishing attitudes and values as a nurse’. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that documentaries can be applied in nursing education about high-risk newborns.

Keywords

• education, nursing
• infant, newborn
• intensive care units, neonatal
• documentaries and factual films
• qualitative research