Web Camera Use of Mothers and Fathers When Viewing Their Hospitalized Neonate

Mothers and fathers of neonates hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) differ in their experiences related to NICU visitation.

To describe the frequency and length of maternal and paternal viewing of their hospitalized neonates via a Web camera.

A total of 219 mothers and 101 fathers used the Web camera that allows 24/7 NICU viewing from September 1, 2010, to December 31, 2012, which included 40 mother and father dyads. We conducted a review of the Web camera's Web site log-on records in this nonexperimental, descriptive study.

Mothers and fathers had a significant difference in the mean number of log-ons to the Web camera system (P = .0293). Fathers virtually visited the NICU less often than mothers, but there was not a statistical difference between mothers and fathers in terms of the mean total number of minutes viewing the neonate (P = .0834) or in the maximum number of minutes of viewing in 1 session (P = .6924). Patterns of visitations over time were not measured.

Web camera technology could be a potential intervention to aid fathers in visiting their neonates. Both parents should be offered virtual visits using the Web camera and oriented regarding how to use the Web camera.

These findings are important to consider when installing Web cameras in a NICU. Future research should continue to explore Web camera use in NICUs.