Understanding how mothers and fathers respond to the neonatal intensive care (NICU) environment is an important first step in determining what resources and support are most helpful to the parents of preterm infants.
“The care provided by neonatal nurses—as in any clinical nursing setting—is an integral part of the experience of patients and their families, with an impact that often lasts well beyond their time in hospital,” says Dr. Nancy Feeley, a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Nursing Research at the Jewish General Hospital. “That’s why it’s crucial for evidence-based research to guide nurses in how they approach their work.”
Dr. Feeley’s pioneering studies in neonatal nursing interventions earned the nurse scientist the 2018 Excellence in Nursing Research Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN). The award recognizes individual accomplishments in research and advances in nursing research in Canada.
“Nursing research develops strategies that can be applied by the clinical team to promote the psychological well-being of parents following a preterm birth,” says Dr. Feeley. “Mothers and fathers in the NICU are often under intense stress and overwhelmed by anxiety. If they are given the proper support, that will help to improve outcomes for their baby.”
Since 2010, Dr. Feeley has been the Co-Director of the Quebec Network on Nursing Intervention Research (RRISIQ). Her research throughout her career has been funded variously by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRQS) and the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC).
As a devoted mentor who has trained students to develop their research skills, Dr. Feeley was also recognized by the CASN for promoting nursing research among the next generation of nurses.
