Neonatal intensive care units can be hazardous to nurses' health.

The growth of new technologies has opened up new areas of expertise for nurses, giving them unique opportunities to play major roles in critical care. New opportunities, however, pose problems for the nurses themselves and for the profession. The risk of exposure to physical and emotional health hazards in the neonatal intensive care units of two regional teaching hospitals is described. The conclusion drawn is that unless hospitals pay more attention to the health of their nurses, the shortage of staff will worsen.