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Comparative Study
. 2020 Jan 29;20(1):38.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-1929-1.

A comparative study of mothers of infants hospitalized in an open ward neonatal intensive care unit and a combined pod and single-family room design

Nancy Feeley  1   2 , Stephanie Robins  3 , Christine Genest  4 , Robyn Stremler  5 , Phyllis Zelkowitz  6 , Lyne Charbonneau  7
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A comparative study of mothers of infants hospitalized in an open ward neonatal intensive care unit and a combined pod and single-family room design

Nancy Feeley et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: The well-being of mothers of infants requiring Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization may be affected by the architectural design of the unit. A few recent studies suggest there may be some drawbacks of single-family rooms (SFRs) for infants and their mothers, such as isolation of mothers and reduced exposure to auditory stimulation for infants.

Purpose: To compare NICU-stress, symptoms of depression, perceptions of nurse-parent support and family-centered care, sleep disturbances, breastfeeding self-efficacy and readiness for discharge in mothers of infants cared for in an open ward (OW) to those cared for in a unit that includes both pods and SFRs.

Methods: A pre-post quasi-experimental study was conducted in a Canadian level 3 unit before and after transitioning to a new unit of 6-bed pods and SFRs. OW data were collected in 2014 and pod/SFR data 1 year after the transition in 2017 to 2018. Mothers of infants hospitalized for at least 2 weeks completed questionnaires about stress, depressive symptoms, support, family-centered care, and sleep disturbances. In the week prior to discharge, they responded to breastfeeding self-efficacy and readiness for discharge questionnaires. They described their presence in the NICU at enrollment and again prior to discharge.

Results: Pod/SFR mothers reported significantly less NICU-stress compared to OW mothers. OW mothers had greater sights and sounds stress and felt more restricted in their parental role. Pod/SFR mothers reported greater respect from staff. Controlling for maternal education, pod/SFR mothers perceived their infant's readiness for discharge to be greater than OW mothers. There were no significant differences between groups in depressive symptoms, nurse-parent support, sleep disturbances, and breastfeeding self-efficacy. At enrollment and again in the weeks preceding discharge, pod/SFR mothers were present significantly more hours per week than OW mothers, controlling for maternal education.

Conclusions: Further study of small pods is indicated as these units may be less stressful for parents, and enhance family-centered care, as well as maternal presence, compared to OWs.

Keywords: Breastfeeding self-efficacy; Depression; Design; Family-centered care; Mothers; Neonatal intensive care; Stress; Support from nurses.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

Figures

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Fig. 1
Pod/SFR unit design
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