Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Dec;35 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S29-36.
doi: 10.1038/jp.2015.147.

Recommendations for enhancing psychosocial support of NICU parents through staff education and support

S L Hall  1 , J Cross  2 , N W Selix  3 , C Patterson  4 , L Segre  5 , R Chuffo-Siewert  6 , P A Geller  7 , M L Martin  8
Affiliations
Review

Recommendations for enhancing psychosocial support of NICU parents through staff education and support

S L Hall et al. J Perinatol. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Providing psychosocial support to parents whose infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can improve parents' functioning as well as their relationships with their babies. Yet, few NICUs offer staff education that teaches optimal methods of communication with parents in distress. Limited staff education in how to best provide psychosocial support to families is one factor that may render those who work in the NICU at risk for burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress syndrome. Staff who develop burnout may have further reduced ability to provide effective support to parents and babies. Recommendations for providing NICU staff with education and support are discussed. The goal is to deliver care that exemplifies the belief that providing psychosocial care and support to the family is equal in importance to providing medical care and developmental support to the baby.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

SL Hall has a consulting agreement with the Wellness Network, but this organization had no input or editing rights to the content included in the recommendations. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. 1Wigert H, Blom M, Bry K. Parents experiences of communication with neonatal intensive care unit staff: an interview study. BMC Pediatr [Internet] 2014; 14(1): 304; available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/14/304 (date last accessed 15 April 2015). - PMC - PubMed
    1. 2Placencia F, McCullough L. Biopsychosocial risks of parental care for high-risk neonates: implications for evidence-based parental counseling. J Perinatol 2012; 32(5): 381–386. - PubMed
    1. 3Pines A, Aronson E. Career Burnout: Causes and Cures. Free Press: : New York, NY, USA, 1988.
    1. 4Boyle D. Countering compassion fatigue: a requisite nursing agenda. Online J Issues Nurs 2011; 16(1): 2. Available at: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodi... (date last accessed 27 May 2014). - PubMed
    1. 5Aiken L, Clarke S, Sloane D, Sochalski J, Busse R, Clarke H et al. Nurses' reports on hospital care in five countries. Health Aff 2001; 20: 43–53. - PubMed

Publication types