Help with Topic for Paper

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Specializes in Med Surg/Ortho.

I am going into my 4th semester of nursing school, and I will have to write a paper on an area of nursing I am interested in working. I have chosen the NICU. I need at least two peer reviewed journal articles on either a skill or issue applicable to that area.

The problem is not finding articles. I'm using the CINAHL database (what we were told to use), I'm just finding so many articles and trying to narrow it down. For those actually working or have worked in a NICU, what is a major issue that you deal with that could be a good topic for my paper? I want to use something that most NICU nurses deal with. And since I only spent a few hours last semester in the NICU during clinicals, I really don't have a good idea. Thank you for your help!

ETA: A couple topics I was thinking of were sepsis (I'm finding a lot of articles on that) or the use of ventilators.

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-The incidence of BPD (Bronchopulmonary dysplasia) in infants born prematurely (and most likely previously ventilated)

-Necrotizing enterocolitis in premature babies

-Use of oral sucrose prior to minor painful procedures in the NICU (When I was a nursing student, I did a paper on this and found many articles, including a Cochrane Review)

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

So many great topics. I'll kind of play with one of ChampagnesupeRNova's topics. How about the incidence of NEC when using all breast milk? (we've had awesome results). Or to play with yours and her topics, the rate of BPD when using positive pressure ventilation (traditional vents) versus non-invasive ventilations (like bubble CPAP). I'm almost certain you can find Cochrane reviews on both of those topics that will be full of articles you can mine for further information.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Med Surg/Ortho.

You both have given me some great ideas that I had not even thought of. Thank you so much!

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