Integrative Review of Technology to Support Communication With Parents of Infants in the NICU.
Elizabeth G Epstein, Jaqueline Arechiga, Margaret Dancy and 3 others
PMID 28263727WHAT IT FOUND
NICU parents generally valued webcam or video contact with infants, but stress and length-of-stay outcomes did not improve significantly.
Nurses saw communication benefits, while camera upkeep and added workflow were common concerns.
Key findings
01Parents generally valued the chance to see their infants remotely, but a small number felt helplessness, sadness, stress, or guilt when viewing them on a webcam.
02Objective parental stress and infant length-of-stay outcomes showed no significant improvement: overall stress did not correlate with webcam viewing time, and length of stay did not differ significantly between webcam groups.
03Nurses often viewed webcams as useful for parents, but workflow concerns, especially repositioning cameras, were common.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
No formal quality appraisal was done, so weak studies were included. Only 11 studies were analysed, and many were descriptive with small samples, convenience sampling, technology access requirements, and limited demographics. Outcome measures varied widely, so results were hard to combine. Many positive findings were perceptions rather than tested effects. Only three author groups discussed security or privacy regulations. Provider perceptions were mostly nurses, not all team members.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat webcam or texting as proven to reduce parental stress or shorten NICU stays. The objective stress, anxiety, and length-of-stay findings were null or inconsistent, and most positive results were perceptions.