Parents' needs and perceived gaps in communication with healthcare professionals in the neonatal (intensive) care unit: A qualitative interview study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore parents' needs and perceived gaps concerning communication with healthcare professionals during their preterm infants' admission to the neonatal (intensive) care unit (NICU) after birth. METHODS: Semi-structured, retrospective interviews with 20 parents of preterm infants (March 2020), admitted to a Dutch NICU (level 2-4) minimally one week, one to five years prior. The interview guide was developed using Epstein and Street's Framework for Patient-Centered Communication. Online interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis was performed by two independent coders. RESULTS: Communication needs and gaps emerged across four main functions of NICU communication: Building/maintaining relationships, exchanging information, (sharing) decision-making, and enabling parent self-management. Communication gaps included: lack of supportive physician communication, disregard of parents' views and agreements, missing communication about decisions, and the absence of written (discharge) information. CONCLUSION: This study improves our understanding and conceptualization of adequate NICU communication by revealing persisting gaps in parent-provider interaction. Also, this study provides a steppingstone for further integration of parents as equal partners in neonatal care and communication. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results are relevant to practitioners in the field of neonatal and pediatric care, providing suggestions for tangible improvements in NICU care in the Netherlands and beyond.

The functions of adequate communication in the neonatal care unit: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the main functions of parent-provider communication in the neonatal (intensive) care unit (NICU) and determine what adequate communication entails according to both parents and health professionals. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research. PubMed, Ebsco/PsycINFO, Wiley/Cochrane Library, Ebsco/CINAHL, Clarivate Analytics/Web of Science Core Collection, and Elsevier/Scopus were searched in October-November 2019 for records on interpersonal communication between parents and providers in neonatal care. Title/abstract screening and full-text analysis were conducted by multiple, independent coders. Data from included articles were analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: 43 records were included. Thematic analysis of data resulted in the development of the NICU Communication Framework, including four functions of communication (1. building/maintaining relationships, 2. exchanging information, 3. (sharing) decision-making, 4. enabling parent self-management) and five factors that contribute to adequate communication across these functions (topic, aims, location, route, design) and, thereby, to tailored parent-provider communication. CONCLUSION: The NICU Communication Framework fits with the goals of Family Integrated Care to encourage parent participation in infants' care. This framework forms a first step towards the conceptualization of (adequate) communication in NICU settings. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings can be used to improve NICU communication in practice, in particular through the mnemonic TAILORED.