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Visitation to a neonatal intensive care unit
M Lewis1, M Bendersky, A Koons
1Institute for the Study of Child Development, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08903-0019.
Insights
Extended hospitalization for preterm infants disrupts family bonding. Fewer parent visits correlate with poorer follow-up appointment compliance for these vulnerable neonates.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric health
- Family studies
Background:
- Preterm newborns often face prolonged hospital stays.
- This hospitalization can impede crucial early parent-newborn bonding.
- Understanding factors affecting family visits is vital for infant well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine visit frequency variations in preterm neonates.
- To identify infant and family factors influencing these visits.
- To assess the relationship between visit frequency and follow-up compliance.
Main Methods:
- Studied 164 preterm neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit.
- Tracked daily visitor frequency and identified 'no-visitor' days.
- Correlated visit data with infant medical status and family demographics.
- Analyzed link between visit patterns and 3-month post-term follow-up adherence.
Main Results:
- Visitor numbers decreased significantly in the first 12 days of hospitalization.
- Neonates with intraventricular hemorrhage, non-traditional family structures, or who were not firstborn had more 'no-visitor' days.
- Maternal hospitalization status directly impacted newborn visit frequency; sicker mothers had fewer visitors.
- Increased 'no-visitor' days were associated with lower attendance at 3-month follow-up appointments.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalization duration and specific infant/family factors negatively affect parental presence.
- Reduced family contact during neonatal intensive care unit stays is a barrier to crucial post-discharge care.
- Interventions to support family engagement are needed to improve long-term health outcomes for preterm infants.
Abstract:
Preterm newborns may experience extended periods of hospitalization which disrupt the normal early contact between the newborn and its family. Variations in the frequency of visits to 164 preterm neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit were examined in relation to infant and family status variables and compliance with follow-up appointments at 3 months postterm. The mean number of visitors decreased from day 2 to day 12 of hospitalization and then remained stable through day 21. There was a corresponding increase in the number of days with no visitors through day 12, and then stabilization. Neonates who had intraventricular hemorrhages, whose parents did not live together, and who were not firstborn had the most days with no visitors. While the mother was hospitalized herself, her condition was the only variable related to percentage of no-visitor days. The sicker the mother, the more likely the newborn had no visitors. The greater the number of days with no visitors, the poorer the likelihood that the infant was brought to a 3-month follow-up clinic appointment.