Improving family-centered care practices in the NICU

Abstract

Family presence and participation in care in the NICU is fundamental to the recovery and well-being of the sick neonate and family. However, some NICU visitation policies are not supportive of families. A new visitor-management program was initiated at a local hospital. The program included open visitation for parents and others chosen by parents to be a support during their hospital stay. This quality-improvement project evaluated if there was any improvement in parents' perceptions and experiences of family-centered care after the implementation of the new visitor-management program. The NICU parent survey data revealed a modest positive difference in parent responses after the implementation of the program.

Keywords: NICU; family-centered care practices; visitation guidelines; visitor management.