Evaluating Family-Integrated Newborn Care to Improve Outcomes for Preterm and Low-Birth-Weight Babies in Resource-Limited Settings

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to investigate whether involving families as key partners in newborn care units can improve the outcomes of preterm and low-birth-weight babies in resource-limited settings in Northern Ethiopia. The study uses a quasi-experimental design to compare outcomes such as length of hospital stay between babies whose families receive the Family Integrated Newborn Care FINC intervention and those receiving standard care. The goal is to see if this family involvement makes a meaningful difference in neonatal health. The study has two groups one where families of preterm and low-birth-weight neonates receive the FINC intervention, which includes training, mentoring, and education to actively participate in the babys care, along with some modifications in the neonatal care unit to support family integration. The comparison group receives conventional care without special family integration efforts. The intervention uses audio-visual materials in the local language and bedside training to support family engagement. Participants include neonates aged 0-28 days admitted to level-2 neonatal care units and accompanied by at least one parent who can spend up to 8 hours per day with the baby. Researchers will monitor hospital stay length, survival at discharge, daily weight gain, breastfeeding initiation, skin-to-skin contact timing, antibiotic use, parental stress levels, and readiness for discharge during the first 28 days of life. The study will assess both neonatal and parental outcomes to understand the impact of family integration in newborn care.

Effectiveness of Family-Integrated Newborn Care to Improve Outcomes for Preterm and Low-birth-weight Neonates