A Multisite Survey of NICU Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions About Family-Centered Care

Abstract

Background: Family-centered care contributes to improved outcomes for preterm and ill infants. Little is known about the perceptions of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) healthcare professionals regarding the degree to which their NICU practices or values family-centered care. Purpose: The aims of this study were to describe attitudes and beliefs of NICU healthcare professionals about family-centered care and to explore professional characteristics that might influence those views. Methods: Data were derived from the baseline phase of a multicenter quasi-experimental study comparing usual family-centered NICU care with mobile-enhanced family-integrated care. Neonatal intensive care unit healthcare professionals completed the Family-Centered Care Questionnaire—Revised (FCCQ-R), a 45-item measure of 9 core dimensions of Current Practice and Necessary Practice for family-centered care. Results: A total of 382 (43%) NICU healthcare professionals from 6 NICUs completed 1 or more of the FCCQ-R subscales, 83% were registered nurses. Total and subscale scores on the Necessary Practice scale were consistently higher than those on the Current Practice scale for all dimensions of family-centered care (mean: 4.40 [0.46] vs 3.61 [0.53], P < .001). Only years of hospital experience and NICU site were significantly associated with Current Practice and Necessary Practice total scores. Implications for Practice: Ongoing assessment of the perceptions of NICU healthcare professionals regarding their current practice and beliefs about what is necessary for the delivery of high-quality family-centered care can inform NICU education, quality improvement, and maintenance of family-centered care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for Research: Further research is needed to identify additional factors that predict family-centered care perceptions and behaviors.

Practices and Perceptions of Family-Centered Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Secondary School Athletic Trainers

“…The data from our study suggest athletic trainers feel they are practicing FCC, with the exception of “developmental needs.” However, there were significant differences between their practices and perceptions of FCC. These findings are consistent with previous studies conducted across other healthcare settings, such as nursing and neonatal intensive care units [ 14 , 18 , 19 ]. In addition, research has assessed the attitudes toward FCC among physical therapists, professionals with similar skill sets as athletic trainers, in the United States [ 20 ].…”

“…Athletic trainers reported parent-to-parent support as the highest perceived and most frequently practiced element of FCC. Interestingly, this element is not ranked highly across other healthcare professions for both perception and practice [ 18 , 19 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Athletic trainers reported practicing parent-to-parent support (mean = 3.93 ± 0.85) more frequently as compared to other professions, with mean scores ranging from 2.38 to 3.55 [ 18 , 19 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 31 ].…”

“…Interestingly, this element is not ranked highly across other healthcare professions for both perception and practice [ 18 , 19 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Athletic trainers reported practicing parent-to-parent support (mean = 3.93 ± 0.85) more frequently as compared to other professions, with mean scores ranging from 2.38 to 3.55 [ 18 , 19 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 31 ]. Similarly, athletic trainers perceived this as a necessary element more than other healthcare professionals.…”

Improving Family-Centered Care for Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

“…First, this was a secondary analysis of text data gathered as part of a larger survey of family-centered current and necessary practices. 12 Therefore, there was no opportunity to follow up with respondents to clarify or explore comments in greater depth. Second, all sites reported providing family-centered care and the survey findings indicated that respondents overall highly rated their unit's current practice of familycentered care.…”

“…It is essential for NICUs to conduct their own assessments of their family-centered care practices, including strengths, weaknesses, resources, and gaps so that local solutions can be developed in partnership with family advisors. 12 Many resources are available to support family-centered quality improvement initiatives. 24,25 In summary, NICU healthcare professionals identified a range of issues that impede delivery of family-centered care and provided actionable recommendations for improvement.…”