Abstract
Purpose: This study was designed to determine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Nurse-Parent Support Tool (NPST) and to investigate the stress levels and perceived support of parents of premature infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit.
Design: This study was methodological and descriptive.
Setting and sample: The study was conducted with mothers of premature infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Methods: Data were collected using the mother and infant information forms, the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and the NPST.
Results: According to the factor analysis results, factor 1 of NPST explained 40% of the total variance. Parents experienced stress and they indicated high levels of perceived support, with a mean of 3.69.
Conclusion: The NPST is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring Turkish parents' perceptions of nurse support. The parents indicated high levels of stress and high levels of perceived support from nurses.
Implications: Clinical nurse specialists can determine high-risk parents who need support for infant care and they can also lead to positive patient outcomes and cost reductions. Clinical nurse specialists canncrease care quality with organizational change, and this requires intraprofessional and interdisciplinary collaboration.