Centre for Preterm Birth Studies

Parental Needs Rating by Parents and Nurses: Association with Illness Severity

Category

Preterm Birth

Sub-Categories

Database

Details

Lead: Marion DeLand

The medical-technical environment of the neonatal intensive care (NICU) has been extensively reported as stressful and anxiety-provoking for parents of medically fragile preterm infants. Infants born under 32 weeks’ completed gestation make up 1.2% of all preterm births in Ontario and face significantly more health challenges across time including infections, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and developmental problems. The needs of parents vary over time during the infant’s hospitalization and accurate assessment of their needs and priorities can reduce the unintentional barriers and negative consequences such as stress and anxiety in parents that are created as a result of nurses and other healthcare providers having an incomplete understanding of parental needs and perception. Understanding parental needs and perceptions has implications regarding how strategies for information provision, communication and counseling, and support programs.