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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Assessment of family needs in neonatal intensive care units

Cynthia A Mundy1

  • 1Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, 30912, USA. cmundy@mcg.edu

American Journal of Critical Care : an Official Publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
|March 3, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Parents in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) prioritize assurance needs. Support needs are higher at admission than discharge, with no significant differences between mothers and fathers.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family-centered care research.
  • Pediatric nursing and family support studies.

Background:

  • Limited research exists on family needs within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
  • Healthcare providers' assumptions about family needs can lead to inaccurate care plans.
  • Assessing family needs is crucial for developing individualized, family-centered care plans.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the most and least important needs of parents in a level III NICU.
  • To determine if parental needs differ between NICU admission and discharge.
  • To investigate potential differences in needs between mothers and fathers.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Needs Inventory for parent interviews.
  • Parents rated the importance of various needs on a scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (not applicable).

Main Results:

  • Over 93% of assessed items were rated as important or very important by parents.
  • Assurance-type needs were ranked highest in importance by parents.
  • Parents reported higher support needs at admission compared to discharge; no significant gender differences were found.

Conclusions:

  • Identifying parental needs in the NICU enhances nursing communication and care planning.
  • The Family Needs Inventory facilitates the integration of individualized nursing care.
  • Addressing identified needs promotes a positive, family-centered experience for patients and families in the NICU.
Abstract

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