Parents’ Needs Regarding their High -Risk Neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Background: Hospitalization of new-born infant in a neonatal intensive care unit is a very frighten and distressing experience for parents, Nurses plays an important role in listening to the demands, concerns, and fears of the family, planning care, attending to their needs and providing the necessary support. Aim: Explore parents’ needs regarding their high-risk neonates in neonatal intensive care unit. Research design: A descriptive exploratory research design was utilised in the current study. Sample: A convenient sample of 150 parents (105 mothers and 45 fathers) who had neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit were involved in the current study. Setting: The study was conducted at a waiting room of neonatal intensive care unit at Minia University Hospital for Obstetric and Paediatrics, Egypt. One tool was used in this study. Part I: Include demographic data of parents such as age, education, number of children, and previous admission to neonatal intensive care unit. Part II: Demographic characteristics of the neonates such as gestational age at birth, birth weight, length of hospital stays and type of disease. Part III: Include neonatal intensive care unit family needs inventory scale to measure the needs of patents regarding their high-risk neonates in neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Fathers had the higher mean score regarding assurance, proximity, information, support and comfort subscale than mothers and assurance subscale ranked the highest most important subscale with mean ±SD (3. 61± 0.141) and (3.35± 0.235) for fathers and mothers respectively. There were statistically significant differences between demographic characteristics of parents and their neonates and parent’s most important needs. Conclusion: In neonatal intensive care unit family needs inventory scale the needs of fathers regarding high- risk neonates were most important than mothers and assurance subscale ranked the highest most important subscale. Importance of needs for parents.is influenced by Parents and their neonates’ demographic characteristics Recommendations: There should be written guidelines for health care team in the hospital about the neonatal intensive care unit family need inventory scale to be practiced in neonatal intensive care unit