249 Parents' Experiences of a Neonatal Home Care Program

Abstract

Background: During the years 2002-2005 three hundred and ninety infants, who were physiologically stable but in need of further special care, participated in a neonatal home care program at Lund University Hospital in Sweden. On an average, each infant spent 17 days in the programme and received a mean of 4, 6 home visits. When estimating the costs neonatal home care was found to be less expensive than the traditional hospital care. The aim of this study was to describe parents' experiences of the neonatal home care program. Method: Qualitative data collection was used. Six mothers and four fathers were individually interviewed about their experiences of being included in the neonatal home care program. Textual data, from transcribed audiotapes, was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results: Parents were positive to care for their children at home. They described a process where the responsibility for the child went from the staff at the hospital to the parents at home. In caring for their child at hospital they felt vulnerable and incompetent. At home they felt comfortable and became gradually more confident. Conclusion: Neonatal home care is feasible with support of staff from the neonatal unit. According to the parents it activates the family's own resources and normalise the family life. The parents' participation during the hospitalisation can further be developed and this can maybe decrease the infants' lengths of stay at hospital.