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Perceptions of webcams in the neonatal intensive care unit: here's looking at you kid!
Gavin A Hawkes1, Vicki Livingstone2, C Anthony Ryan1
1Department of Neonatology, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Ireland.
Insights
Parents overwhelmingly support webcam systems in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), believing they reduce stress. However, healthcare staff, particularly nurses, expressed concerns about privacy and increased stress, necessitating further education before implementation.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Human-computer interaction
- Healthcare technology adoption
Background:
- Restricted visiting policies are common in tertiary neonatal units.
- Webcam systems have been previously introduced in neonatal settings internationally.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parental, physician, and nursing staff perspectives on implementing a webcam system in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire-based study was conducted.
- Data collected from parents, physicians, and nursing staff.
Main Results:
- 101 responses were received, with 83% of parents reporting computer usage.
- A majority of parents favored webcam use, anticipating reduced stress.
- Nurses showed higher concern for privacy (68%) and increased staff stress (72%) compared to parents and physicians.
Conclusions:
- Most parents have a positive outlook on NICU webcam implementation.
- Healthcare staff, especially nurses, require education regarding privacy and stress management related to webcam systems.
Introduction:
Many tertiary neonatal units employ a restricted visiting policy. Webcams have previously been implemented in the neonatal unit setting in several countries.
Objectives:
This study aims to determine the views from parents, physicians, and nursing staff before implementation of a webcam system.
Methods:
A questionnaire-based study.
Results:
There were 101 responses. Parental computer usage was 83%. The majority of parents indicated that they would use the webcam system. Parents felt that a webcam system would reduce stress. Members of the nursing staff were most concerned about privacy risks (68%), compared with parents who were confident in the security of these systems (92%, p-value < 0.001). Seventy two percent of nurses felt that a webcam system would increase the stress levels of staff as compared with less than 20% of the physicians (p-value < 0.001).
Discussion:
The majority of parents who completed the questionnaire have positive attitudes toward implementation of a webcam system in the NICU. Education of health care staff is required before implementation.