Proxemic communication between undergraduate nursing students and newborns in neonatal unit: an exploratory-descriptive study

Abstract

Proxemic communication between undergraduate nursing students and newborns is essential for effective nurse assistance between the binomial. It aimed to characterize the proxemic communication between undergraduate nursing students and newborns. Exploratory-descriptive study carried out at the neonatal medium care unit (NMCU) of a public hospital of Fortaleza-Ceará-Brazil, from November/2009 to May/2010. The subjects were 22 students and 22 newborns. Two ways of interaction between students and newborns were described: face to face (12), sideways (10). Students adopted personal (12), social (8), intimate (2) distance. Students showed expression of tranquility (15), smile (4), tranquility and smile (2), indifference (1). While the newborns presented expression of tranquility (13), cry (7), indifference (2). Twenty-one students looked at the newborns, six spoke quietly, eleven normally, five remained in silence. The proxemic factors allow assessing the communication in NMCU, improving the students' assistance to newborns.