Parent Perspectives on Communication Quality in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Katherine F Guttmann, Gabriella N Raviv, Christine A Fortney and 2 others
PMID 38975667WHAT IT FOUND
NICU parents described both helpful communication and confusing gaps.
Poor information sharing was common in the first 24 to 48 hours. Nurses were often described positively by parents, while parents wanted a clear point person and both parents included.
Key findings
01Parents described both communication strengths and challenges during their infant's NICU stay.
02Parents said poor information sharing was particularly common in the first 24–48 hours of a baby's NICU course.
03Parents generally described positive communication experiences with nursing staff and wanted a clear point person for information and decision-making.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single-center study, so the findings may not apply to other NICUs. The sample was small and convenience-based, with 14 parents of 10 neonates. Only parent perspectives were collected, so clinicians' views and parent-clinician agreement were not known. The interviewer was a physician, which may have influenced questions and responses. Non-English speakers were excluded, so communication challenges for families without English fluency were not explored. Most parents were white, so racially marginalized parents' experiences may be different. Parents had to be present at the bedside to enroll, which may differ from parents who cannot visit. The study covered communication in the first 10 to 14 days, so communication at other times may differ. Infant diagnoses were not collected, so diagnosis context was missing. Social desirability bias may have influenced parents' responses.
Declared interests
The authors have no competing interests to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that communication changes infant outcomes. The study reports parents' perceptions from 14 parents in one NICU and did not test an intervention or measure clinical results.