Parents' Views on Family Care at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - A Qualitative Study.
Linea Grothe Larsen, Suzanne Forsyth Herling, Sanne Allermann Beck and 3 others
PMID 42614042WHAT IT FOUND
Parents said NICU staff saved their infants, but unclear communication, feeling overlooked, and poor privacy undermined partnership.
They wanted individualized information, recognition of their role, breastfeeding help, and support for parents' mental strain. These are experiences, not evidence of what works.
Key findings
01After excluding short praise, 589 analysed parent responses produced two themes: challenges in communication and recognition in NICU care, and balancing family needs and support systems.
02Parents said unclear or under-shared information, including ward expectations and changes in observation, made them feel insecure and not recognised as partners.
03Parents wanted privacy, breastfeeding support, and attention to their mental strain, and some felt overlooked when their infant was less critically ill.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only Danish-speaking parents could respond, so it may not reflect families who need language support. The questionnaire was sent after discharge, so recall may have been affected by relief or memory gaps. The data were collected between June 2017 and November 2019 and described as 6 years old, so current NICU practice may differ. The analysis deliberately focused on responses beyond general satisfaction and praise, so it highlights problems rather than a balanced picture of all experiences. It was one 33-bedded level IV NICU with long-standing family-centred care, so the findings may not transfer to units without that context. Parents of infants who died were excluded, and only 311 of 727 invited parents completed the questionnaire.
Declared interests
The authors reported nothing to declare and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read parents' gratitude for life-saving care as proof that family-centred care was consistently experienced. The analysed responses were selected from 589 comments that went beyond praise and described communication, partnership, privacy and support gaps.