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
. 2023 Jul 5:24:e44.
doi: 10.1017/S1463423623000336.

Extended home visits can provide multidimensional adapted professional support for parents - an intervention study

Margaretha Larsson  1 , Caroline Bäckström  2 , Rebecca Larsson  3 , Sara Gahm  4 , Marie Wilhsson  1
Affiliations

Extended home visits can provide multidimensional adapted professional support for parents - an intervention study

Margaretha Larsson et al. Prim Health Care Res Dev. .

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore healthcare professionals' experiences of working with extended home visits for parents.

Background: It is essential to identify parents, both expectant and with a newborn child, who need support in their parenting abilities at an early stage because children's health and well-being are affected by their home environment as well as by their parents' health and social relationships. Home visits represent a cost-effective way of identifying and supporting families with a newborn. Further research is needed to explore healthcare professionals' experiences working with extended home visits for parents.

Methods: This was a qualitative interview study focusing on an intervention introduced in the Enhanced Parenting-Extended Home Visits project in Sweden. Data were collected via 13 semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals who provide the intervention in antenatal care (midwives) and child health care (CHC nurses and family supporters), and a qualitative content analysis was performed.

Findings: Data analysis resulted in one theme and four categories. The theme - to provide multidimensional adapted professional support, - and the four categories - strengthened collaboration between professionals enriches their work. Home visits provide time for conversation, which promotes continuity of care and relationships with parents; being humble guests in parents' homes provides insight; and home visits provide the opportunity to strengthen parenting and participation in the family centre. The goals of the Enhanced Parenting-Extended Home Visits project were to strengthen parents' confidence in their parenting abilities and to build trusting relationships with healthcare professionals. The conclusion of this study, from the participants' perspective, is that these goals can be achieved with the intervention.

Implications for practice: Extended home visits seem to help healthcare professionals provide collaborative, multi-professional support for parents, both expectant and with a newborn child, with unique support needs.

Keywords: child health nurse; collaboration; family support; family supporter; midwife; parents; patient-centred care; professional support; qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

References

    1. Aronen ET and Arajarvi T (2000) Effects of early intervention on psychiatric symptoms of young adults in low-risk and high-risk families. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 70, 223–232. 10.1037/h0087764 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bäckström C, Kåreholt I, Thorstensson S, Golsäter M and Mårtensson LB (2018) Quality of couple relationship among first-time mothers and partners, during pregnancy and the first six months of parenthood. Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare: Official Journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives 17, 56–64. 10.1016/j.srhc.2018.07.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bäckström C, Thorstensson S, Pihlblad J, Forsman A-C and Larsson M (2021) Parents’ experiences of receiving professional support through extended home visits during pregnancy and early childhood—A phenomenographic study. Frontiers in Public Health 9, 114. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpubh.2021.578917 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Banke G, Berglund A, Collberg P and Ideström M (2008) Antenatal Care Sexual and Reproductive Health. (National Guidelines) (ARG-Rapport nr 59). Arbets and Referensgrupper (ARG) rapportserie. Svensk Förening för Obstetrik and Gynekologi (SFOG). Retrieved 20 February 2021 from https://www.sfog.se/natupplaga/ARG76web4a328b70-0d76-474e-840e-31f70a89e...
    1. Barboza M, Kulane A, Burström B and Marttila A (2018) A better start for health equity? Qualitative content analysis of implementation of extended postnatal home visiting in a disadvantaged area in Sweden. International Journal for Equity in Health 17, 1–9. 10.1186/s12939-018-0756-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types