Parental Perspectives on Neonatologist Continuity of Care.
Kerri Z Machut, Christie Gilbart, Karna Murthy and 1 others
PMID 34138794WHAT IT FOUND
Parents valued neonatologists who knew their infant's history, kept goals steady, and communicated consistently.
Provider turnover was hard when it felt abrupt or caused gaps in knowledge, but fresh perspectives were welcome when explained.
Key findings
01Parents identified four components of neonatologist continuity: longitudinal presence, background knowledge, care plans, and communication.
02Parents said comprehensive knowledge of their infant mattered more than the other three components.
03Parents said consistent communication increased their knowledge of their infant's condition and plan, helped them feel stronger as caregivers, and could aid timely discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 15 families were interviewed from one NICU, and families were approached by convenience. Most parents were mothers, so the study could not analyze differences by parent or patient characteristics. Parents were interviewed before discharge, but their reports were still subject to recall bias. Some interviews were conducted by a neonatologist, and parents may have changed answers because of interviewer characteristics or feelings about NICU care. Translations for the two Spanish interviews were not verified. The sample size was too small to statistically relate parental characteristics to continuity of care. The study focused on neonatologist continuity, not nursing or therapy continuity.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these parental views as evidence that continuity of care improves infant outcomes. The study reported experiences and suggestions, not measured clinical effects.