Multidimensional Assessment of Infant, Parent and Staff Outcomes During a Family Centered Care Enhancement Project in a Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the effects of enhanced Family Centered Care (FCC) practices on preterm infants born at or before 32 weeks of gestation and/or weighing 1500 grams or less, along with their parents and NICU staff. This longitudinal cohort study aims to assess how introducing additional FCC elements influences infant health, parental mental health, and staff satisfaction over time. The study is conducted at a single center and explores the interaction between infant outcomes, parent well-being, and staff experiences within the NICU environment. The study begins with a baseline period, after which new FCC interventions are gradually introduced every six months. These interventions include staff training, parent education, psychosocial support for families, and improvements to the NICU environment to promote closeness between parents and infants. A focus group of nurses and healthcare professionals regularly decides on new care practices, which are then shared with the larger team through workshops and hands-on teaching. Participants are followed with periodic evaluations until the infants reach 24 months corrected age. Researchers collect data on various outcomes such as length of hospital stay, neonatal morbidities, growth, feeding milestones, neurodevelopment, parental anxiety, depression, stress, satisfaction, and staff job satisfaction. The study uses quality improvement methods to monitor changes, and the total recruitment period spans 5.5 years with long-term follow-up to assess the effects of the FCC enhancements.

Multidimensional Assessment of Infant, Parent and Staff Outcomes During a Family Centered Care Enhancement Project