Impact of a research study a decade later: the use of pictures in a neonatal intensive care unit as a mode of nursing intervention to enhance maternal-infant bonding.

Approximately 12 years ago a preliminary study (Huckabay, 1987) was published on the use of giving mothers the picture of their premature babies as a mode of nursing intervention to enhance maternal-infant bonding. There is a mandate (Polit & Hungler, 1999) which stipulates that nurses need to be informed consumers of nursing research, be aware of the range of effective interventions that have been published, and use them in improving their nursing care. As reports of successful nursing interventions are published, a question is raised as to the impact of such studies on the actual care of patients or on furthering the knowledge base. To answer this question, an extensive computer search of the literature was done and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) specialists of six major hospitals in southern California were interviewed to determine if they provide mothers the pictures of their premature babies as part of their nursing intervention to facilitate maternal-infant bonding. Findings based upon the NICU specialist interviews and the computer search of the literature are presented in the following order: (1) Current practices regarding use of pictures in six major hospitals, (2) Update of the incidence of premature births and the challenges they present, (3) Update of the importance of bonding theory and controversial issues surrounding its implementation, (4) A cross-cultural bonding study resulting from the use of the tool developed by Huckabay (1987) study, (5) Studies that have extended the use of pictures as a mode of nursing intervention in other situations, (6) Conclusion.