BEST PRACTICES IN FAMILY CENTERED CARE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to determine best practice recommendations for family centered care (FCC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The care received in the NICU has an impact on the outcomes of the neonates as well as their parents who have to endure the stress and bear the financial cost of having a baby in the NICU. A literature review was conducted to identify evidenced based recommendations for FCC that would positively impact patient outcomes and parental stress. These recommendations provide hospitals and nurses with guidelines for implementing FCC in their own NICUs. The best practice recommendations for family centered care in the NICU include high parental involvement in the neonates’ care through education on bathing, changing diapers, checking temperature, infant development, hand hygiene, feeding methods, skin to skin contact and infection control. Additionally, adequate space and staffing need to be available for nurses to provide education and families to spend sufficient time in the NICU. Finally, virtual visitation must be available for families who cannot be present in the NICU. The final chapter proposes an implementation and evaluation plan using the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework.