Communication in the NICU

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The NICU environment is stressful and confusing for parents who have no experience or context for interpreting how their infant is cared for. Effective communication among the care team, and between the care team and the parents is essential for informed decision making and parental satisfaction. In this issue of The Journal, Latour et al used the Delphi method to assess the importance of care delivery issues for various members of the health care team and the parents. There were differences between the parents and the care team members that identify where improvements in interactions and perceptions of the care can occur. This report describes a structured approach to improving communications in the NICU. A challenge will be to demonstrate if such an approach can also improve outcomes.Article page 215 ▸ The NICU environment is stressful and confusing for parents who have no experience or context for interpreting how their infant is cared for. Effective communication among the care team, and between the care team and the parents is essential for informed decision making and parental satisfaction. In this issue of The Journal, Latour et al used the Delphi method to assess the importance of care delivery issues for various members of the health care team and the parents. There were differences between the parents and the care team members that identify where improvements in interactions and perceptions of the care can occur. This report describes a structured approach to improving communications in the NICU. A challenge will be to demonstrate if such an approach can also improve outcomes. Article page 215 ▸ Perceptions of Parents, Nurses, and Physicians on Neonatal Intensive Care PracticesThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 157Issue 2PreviewTo identify satisfaction with neonatal intensive care as viewed by parents and healthcare professionals and to explore similarities and differences between parents and healthcare professionals. Full-Text PDF