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Comparison of Nurses and Parents' Viewpoints Regarding the Needs of Parents of Premature Infants in Neonatal
Marziyeh Tork Ladani1, Zahra Abdeyazdan2, Alireza Sadeghnia1
1Student Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Insights
Parents hospitalized with premature infants have significant needs, particularly for assurance. Nurses underestimated these parental needs, highlighting a gap in understanding crucial for high-quality neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Parental psychology
- Nursing education
Background:
- Parental needs are significant during infant hospitalization in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
- Understanding parental needs is vital for nurses to provide high-quality care to premature infants.
- This study investigated discrepancies between parents' and nurses' perceptions of parental needs in the NICU.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parental (mothers and fathers) and nursing viewpoints on the needs of parents with premature infants in the NICU.
- To identify specific needs that are most and least important from each perspective.
- To inform nursing practice and education for improved parental support.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 63 nurses, 120 mothers, and 120 fathers.
- Data collected using a researcher-made questionnaire.
- Statistical analysis performed using SPSS version 16.
Main Results:
- Mothers prioritized assurance (87.4) and fathers prioritized assurance (78.5) as most important needs.
- Support was ranked as the least important need by mothers (71.37), fathers (51.20), and nurses (59.77).
- Mothers reported significantly higher mean scores for all needs compared to fathers and nurses (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Nurses' perceptions of parental needs were significantly lower than parents' self-reported needs across all subscales.
- A gap exists in nurses' understanding of parental needs in the NICU.
- Educational programs for nurses are recommended to enhance their understanding of parental needs for improved care delivery.
Background:
The birth of a premature infant and her/his hospitalization can cause the parents to experience a variety of needs. Understanding the needs of parents by nurses can lead to provision of high quality care to premature infants. This study aimed to compare the parents' and nurses' viewpoints regarding parents' needs in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
Materials And Methods:
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 63 nurses, 120 mothers, and 120 fathers, who met the inclusion criteria, participated. Nurses were selected through a census method and parents through a simple convenience sampling method. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive-analytic statistical methods in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 16.
Results:
From the viewpoint of mothers, the need for assurance with a mean score of 87.4 was the most important and the need for support with a mean score of 71.37 was the least important need. From the perspective of fathers, the need for assurance with a mean score of 78.5 was the most important and the need for support with a mean score of 51.20 was the least important need. From the viewpoint of the nurses, the need for assurance with a mean score of 77.6 was the most important and the need for support with a mean score of 59.77 was the least important need. The mean scores of the needs of mothers in all subscales were higher than that of the fathers' and nurses' (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
From the viewpoint of nurses, the scores of parents' needs were significantly less than that of the parents' for all subscales. It is suggested that appropriate education programs be provided for nurses regarding how they can understand parents' needs to provide high quality care.