Lived experiences of parents of premature babies in the intensive care unit in a private hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Erika Steyn, Marie Poggenpoel, Chris Myburgh
PMID 28281766WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of premature babies in intensive care described feeling unprepared, emotionally overwhelmed and unsure how to seek help.
They said timely accurate information, encouragement and positive relationships with nurses helped them feel more secure.
Key findings
01Parents described strong emotions, including distress, guilt, fear, frustration, envy, anger, jealousy and sadness, and they found it difficult to express them.
02Hope increased when parents could care for their babies and reach milestones, and when staff gave timely accurate information and encouragement.
03Parents said their relationship with ICU nurses affected trust and security, and they wanted nurses to share information, explain medical terms and support them after discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only married parents were interviewed, all Afrikaans- or English-speaking, in one private hospital, so experiences of single parents, African-language speakers, or public-hospital parents may differ. The study describes parents' experiences and does not test whether nurse communication, mindfulness, or other supports improve mental health or baby outcomes. Participants were selected through ICU nurses and had babies already in ICU for several weeks with expected longer stays, so very early ICU experiences or shorter stays may not be represented. Themes came from interviews and field notes, so findings depend on parents' recall and the researcher's coding, although an independent coder was used.
Declared interests
No funding or conflicts of interest are reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse communication or mindfulness improves parents' mental health or baby outcomes. The study reports parents' experiences in a small sample from one private hospital and does not test an intervention.