Parents Experiences of Racism in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Health equity
• Patient experience

Background:

• Limited research exists on parental experiences of racism within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
• Understanding these experiences is crucial for improving care quality and addressing health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore parents' perceptions of staff interactions in the NICU.
• To investigate the nature and manifestation of racism experienced by parents in the NICU.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses from 97 parents of infants in an urban NICU.
• Constant comparative method informed by Constructivist Grounded Theory.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: coexistence of care and harm, racism manifesting as neglectful care, and power differentials impacting advocacy.
• Parents reported positive interactions alongside disparate treatment linked to racial/ethnic identity.
• Racism was experienced through inappropriate comments and apathy, particularly during parent advocacy efforts.

Conclusions:

• Addressing racism and power imbalances is essential in NICU settings.
• Recommendations include strengthening equity focus and mitigating staff-parent power differentials.