Study of Family-Centered Care Using Zero Separation and Couplet Care for Sick Mothers and Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

What this Trial Is About

This trial focuses on families with newborn infants who require specialized medical care, often resulting in separation of mother and infant after birth. Researchers are studying a family-centred care approach that aims to minimize this separation by providing zero separation and couplet care, where mothers and infants are cared for together. The study evaluates how feasible and acceptable this approach is, and its effects on outcomes like length of infant hospital stay, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding initiation, and family wellbeing. The intervention involves admitting mother-infant pairs together in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where neonatal nurses provide combined care for both. Nurses receive special training in postpartum care and family-centred nursing. The study compares this new care model to usual care through a quasi-experimental trial and includes qualitative interviews and a health economic evaluation to assess cost-effectiveness. Participants will be monitored throughout their hospital stay and up to six months after discharge. Researchers will assess length of stay, timing of first skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding start, family stress, depression, and quality of life using questionnaires and scales. Data confidentiality and ethical standards are maintained. The study is expected to inform improvements in nursing practices and public health by promoting family-centred care in neonatal settings.

Family Centred Healthcare - Zero Separation and Couplet Care