The needs of mothers to newborns hospitalised in intensive care units

Abstract

Objective. The aim of the survey was to identify the needs of mothers to infants hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) and second, to assess the level of parental support provided by the health personnel. Methods. The sample consisted of 147 mothers to infants hospitalized in ICUs. The research was conducted over six months in ICUs for newborns at two hospitals in Ostrava. The study used two standardized questionnaires: The parental stressor questionnaire scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which measures the degree of stress in parents of hospitalized infants and the questionnaire The Nurse Parent Support Tool which evaluates the level of parental support provided by nursing staff. Results. The highest level of stress was identified in the parental role. Specifically, the inability to help the child remain separate from the mother, a feeling of helplessness and inability to protect the child from painful procedures and the inability to feed her baby. Mothers evaluated the support of nursing staff in most of these areas as high. Top were rated the ability of the caring staff to respond well to the questions of parents and the mother's willingness to engage in childcare. Conclusion. Intensive care units for the newborn obviously need to be family-centered care and at the same time they must be aware of all the factors that can be sources of stress for the parents.Only in this way can stress be eliminated with positive impact on the relationship between mother and child.

Estrés en padres de recién nacidos hospitalizados en una unidad de paciente crítico neonatal

“…and the relationship with the staff generate lower levels of stress in the parents. This is consistent with other studies that have investigated parental stress in the context of NICU 4,5,8,17,20,23,24,27,31 .…”

“…Several studies indicate that mothers present higher levels of stress than fathers, as well as greater anxious and depressive symptomatology 5,27,33,34 . However, in this study, differences in stress levels of men and women are not statistically significant, so the gender variable would not be affecting the parents' reaction to their child's hospitalization.…”

“…This scale has been widely used in the neonatal literature 1,5,8,17,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] and has been shown to have high validity and reliability 4 . Authors' permission was obtained for their use.…”

Percepção do cuidado centrado na família em unidade neonatal

“…Para modificar essa realidade é preciso sensibilizar e instrumentalizar a equipe, a fim de que ela reconheça a família como unidade que precisa estar fortalecida para poder cuidar desse novo membro. Na literatura 5,9,[16][17][18][19] , os aspectos evidenciados pelas mães de RN internados relacionados ao não atendimento de suas necessidades são inúmeros e fazem eco aos achados neste estudo, tais como: inexistência de uma rotina de informação, falta de acolhimento, uso constante de termos técnicos pelos profissionais, estrutura inadequada para a permanência na unidade e divergência na atuação dos profissionais.…”

“…18,20 Por outro lado, quando a equipe não considera suas necessidades, deixando-a fora dos cuidados prestados, faz com que se sinta menosprezada e descuidada, criando um espaço para desconfiança e medo, agravando ainda mais o contexto de sofrimento vivenciado. 17,19,20 CONCLUSÃO A análise da percepção da família relativa ao cuidado prestado na unidade neonatal revela aspectos positivos e negativos que devem ser levados em consideração. Os participantes destacaram a receptividade, o carinho e a atenção dispensada, assim como a disponibilidade em ouví-los, oferecendo informações e esclarecendo suas dúvidas, capacitando-os para o cuidado no domicilio como preconiza o modelo do CCPF.…”