Hospitalization in neonatal intensive care unit: parental anxiety and satisfaction

the birth of an infant constitutes a challenge for all parents. Stress is intense when an infant is born prematurely or experiences health problems and enters the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Moreover, mothers with premature babies in the NICU would feel frustrated if they are hospitalized in the maternity clinic away from their children. The purpose of this study is to assess the stress experienced by the parents of newborns hospitalized in NICU and its correlation with their level of satisfaction from the services provided during the hospitalization.

the sample consisted of 102 parents whose children were hospitalized in NICU. Parental Satisfaction questionnaires of NICU and the Picker´s institute were used. Statistical analysis was performed using χ² (chi square) and Pearson´s correlation test (bivariate). STROBE checklist was applied.

out of the 102 parents, 66% were mothers and 33% were fathers. Parents expressed their satisfaction at a rate of 87.8% (±13.9%). In addition, there was strong evidence that the degree of parental satisfaction was significantly related to the age of the mother (p<0.05). The sudden noises from the alarms of the monitoring instruments were strongly correlated with the degree of parents´ satisfaction from the services provided by the NICU (p<0.05). Parents feel less stressful when their child is being monitored (p<0.05).

the results of this study could help the staff of NICU clinics to improve parents´ satisfaction about health services. Proper and adequate communication between parents and health professionals in NICU increases parental satisfaction.